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REPORT 


ON  THE 


Traction  Improvement  and  Development 


WITHIN  THE  PROVIDENCE  DISTRICT 


TO  THE 


Joint  Committee  on  Railroad  Franchises 


PROVIDENCE  CITY  COUNCIL 


By 
BION  J.  ARNOLD 

CONSULTING    ENGINEER 


Providence.  Rhode  Island 

JUNE.    1911 


REPORT 


ON   THE 


Traction  Improvement  and  Development 


WITHIN  THE  PROVIDENCE  DISTRICT 


TO   THE 


Joint  Gommittee  on  Railroad  Franchises 


PROVIDENCE   CITY  COUNCIL 


By 


B!ON  J.  AF?NOLD 

CONSULTING    ENGINEER 


Providence,   Rhode  Island 

JUNE.    1911 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Letter  of  Transmittal 5 

Summary   <if    Detinite   Recoiiiinciidations    6 

General  Smnmary  of  Report 9  ' 

Slb-Divisioxs    of    Discussion 

Section     1 — 1.  Analysis  of  Present  Conditions 31 

2.  Transportation  about  Providence 38 

3.  Growth  of   Providence   District 45 

4.  Traffic  in  the  Terminal  District 61 

5.  Service  Recruircmenls    (5"J 

6.  General  Improvements  in  Service 81 

7.  General  Improvements  in  Equipinent 103 

S.  Co-operative  City  Plannin.u; 135 

Section   II  —  1.    Re  rmiting  Plans  for  'I'cnninal   District 157 

2.  Service  Re-distribution,  outlying  districts 175 

Appendix  1.  Records  of  Rhode  Island  Co.  and  other  data 207 

2.  'iables    213 

3.  Index    of    Plates   and     iaiiles 241 

Supplement        l-"olio  of  drawings  accomp;nying  report End 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL. 

BiON  J.  Arnold 
105    South    I_a  Sali_e   Street 

C  H  I  C  AGO 

15  4-  Nassau  Street 
New  York 

Hon.  George  \V.   Smith.   Chairman,  and  Members, 
Joint  Special   Committee  on  Railroad  Franchises, 
Providence,  City  Council. 

Sirs:  Pursuant  to  the  instructions  conveyed  in  the  joint  resolutions 
of  your  Committee,  dated  January  7,  11)11  and  previous  resolutions, 
appointing  a  special  sub-committee  on  improvements  and  methods,  I 
beg  to  submit  my  report  on  Surface  Transportation  in  Providence. 

This  report  has  been  prepared  in  sections,  in  order  to  permit  of  a 
convenient  sub-division  of  the  whole  subject.  According  to  my  under- 
standing of  the  desire  of  the  Committee,  the  numerous  topics  of  these 
sub-divisions  have  been  discussed  in  detail  with  a  view  of  presenting 
cogent  reasons  for  the  conclusions  reached.  It  is  thought  that  in  this 
manner  many  of  these  conclusions  will  be  evident,  where  otherwise 
they  might  not  be  clearly  understood. 

Preceding  the  body  of  the  report  will  be  found  a  sununary  of  con- 
clusions and  recommendations,  which  is  intended  to  briefly  review  the 
salient  points  of  the  report  for  the  'benefit  of  those  who  desire  a  com- 
prehensive view  of  the  subject  without  being  required  to  study  it  in 
detail. 

In  this  study  I  have  not  attempted  to  investigate  the  corporate  rela- 
tionships or  finances  of  'the  Rhode  Island  Company,  except  in  a  general 
way  from  the  records  available,  nor  to  develop  the  most  equitaWe  basis 
for  taxing  the  corporation.  My  entire  effort,  on  the  other  hand,  has 
been  to  investigate  the  traction  situation  as  it  exists,  trace  its  previous 
development,  make  recommendations  for  its  physical  iniprovement,  and 
give  some  idea  of  the  magnitude  of  the  problem  of  the  future. 

I  particularly  desire  to  make  acknowledgment  of  the  courtesy  and 
assistance  of  the  officials  of  the  Rhode  Island  Company  who  have  spared 
no  effort  nor  hesitated  to  furnish  necessary  information  regarding  its 
property. 

Respectfully  submitted. 


C^z^^^Zuu^^c-^ 


Consulting  Engineer. 
Chicago.  June  1,  1011. 


2004414 


Rkport  ox  Traction  Improvemknt 


MATTERS  REQUIRING  IMMEDIATE  EXECUTION. 

Some  form  of  an  East  side  approacli. 
An  Exchange  Place  loop  terminal. 

Faster  car  and  passenger  movement  and  schedule  speed. 
Street   widenin;^  and  removal  of  obstructions. 
^Modification  of  Traffic  (Ordinance  restrictions. 
Re-routing  in   do\vn-t<j\vn   loadin.i;  district. 
I-21ectric  switches  at  all  important  switcliing  points. 
Extensive  double   tracking   within   the   Citv. 
Increased  rate  of  track  extensions  within  the  City. 
Prepayment  fare  collections  with  lengtliened  platforms. 
Increase  in  car  mileage   (December  basis   ly.z'^r). 
Redistribution  of  service  on  outlying  lines. 
Improved  car   house   facilities. 
Installation   of   Broadway   express   service. 
Introduction  of  convertible  equipment  with  part  cross  seats. 
Single-ended  operation  on  loop  lines  of  heavv  traffic. 
Trial  of  two-motor  maxinunii  traction  truck  e(|uipment. 
Curtailment  of  transfer  abuse. 
Reorganization   of    destination    sign    system. 
Development  of  nearest  suburbs — I-'ast  side  and  outer  Smith 
street. 


Slm.marv  of  Rkco.m.mkn'datioxs. 


MATTERS    REQUIRING    CO-OPERATION    OF    THE 

CITY. 

Develop   the  nearest   suburbs   first. 

Determine  immediately  upon  some  plan  of  East  side  approach. 

Provide  for  a  suitable  Exchange  Place  loop. 

Remove  obstructions  by  easing  otit'  curbs  ;at  intersections, 
esi)ecially  old  short  radius  curbs,  and  by  widening  neces- 
sary streets. 

Amend  speed  ordinance  permitting  street  cars  the  same  run- 
ning speed,  subject  to  suitable  precautions  within  the 
loading   district,   as   automobiles. 

Vehicle  traffic  ordinance  regulating  size  of  vehicles ;  in  neces- 
sarily large  vehicles,  regulating  their  use  on  certain  nar- 
row streets. 

Right-of-way  ordinance  giving  street  cars  a  second  right  of 
way  over  all  other  vehicles  except  fire,  police  and  am- 
bulance vehicles. 

Amend  ordinance  restrictions,  |)ermitting  any  reasonable  de- 
sign of  car  with  platform  overhang  no  greater  than  at 
present. 

Encourage  all  reasonable  track  extensions,  es])ecia11y  into  out- 
lying  territory. 

Provide  shelters  at  loading  and  transfer  points. 

Resurvey  for  electrolysis  after  re-routing  plans  are  put  into 
effect. 

Reorganize  trolley  freight  terminal  location. 

Maintam  record  of  traction  operations  as  regards  earnings, 
passengers,  transfers,  car  mileage,  maintenance,  exten- 
sons,  improvements,  etc. 

Authorize   limited-stop  suburban  express  service. 

7 


REPORT  o\  Traction-  iMPRfARMF.xT. 


MATTERS    REQUIRING    CO-OPERATION    OF    THE 

PUBLIC. 

Cultivate  prompt  movement  so  that  lx)tli  Public  and  Com- 
pany may  benefit. 

Have  exact  fare  ready  if  possible,  before  entering  the  car  to 
facilitate  a  prepayment  i)lan  of  fare  collection. 

Form  the  habit  of  moving  forward  in  a  car. 

Investigate  complaints  and  Company's  rules  before  criticising. 

Render  complaints  to  Comj)any  first,  newspapers  second. 

Assist  in  re-routing  with  arguments  and  data,  based  on  knowl- 
eflge  rather  than  assumption. 

Forego  the  convenience  of  a  private  stop  in  front  of  home  or 
office,  if  necessary  for  the  execution  of  effective  re-routing 
plans. 

Avoid  round  trip  riding  on  a  single  fare  by  means  of  transfers. 

Avoid  boarding  or  leaving  cars  in  motion. 


PROGRAM  FOR  FUTURE  EXECUTION. 

Extensive   City   thoroughfare   dcxclopnieut. 

Encouragement     of      suburban      development     by     trackage 

extensions. 
Cross-town  transit  development. 

Separate  routing  of  freights  and  expresses  from  locals. 
Trolley  freight  terminal. 
Transfer  shelter  stations. 
Additional  car  houses. 

High  tension  transmission  with  sub-stations. 
Suburban   electrification   plans   for  steam   lines. 
Comprehensive  City  flevclopment  plan. 

8 


GENERAL  SUMMARY  OF  CONCLUSIONS. 


S\)iopsis:  Brief  summary  of  complete  report.  Present  con- 
ditions affecting  traction  development.  Some  phases 
of  transportation  about  Providence.  Groivth  of  the 
traction  district.  Rush  hour  traffic  in  the  terminal 
loading  district.  Service  requirements  for  present 
and  future.  Improvements  in  service.  Improve- 
ments in  equipment.  City  planning.  Publicity  and 
supervision.     Rerouting  and  service   redistribution. 


PRESENT  CONDITIONS. 

The  general  thought  that  this  report  attempts  primarily  to 
convey  to  the  citizens  of  Providence  is  one  of  optimism.  In 
manv  respects  the  traction  situation  is  more  fortunate  than  in 
other  cities,  but  especially  so  because  the  earning  capacity  of 
the  property  has  been  well  developed  and  the  special  improve- 
ments desired  may  be  put  into  effect  without  any  wholesale 
uprooting  of  either  the  financial  or  operating  structure  of  the 
Companv.  In  other  words,  it  is  possible  for  the  Comj^any  to 
inaugurate  and  maintain  the  higher  standard  of  service  herein 
outlined  and  still  be  certain  to  receive  a  good  return  on  its 
actual  investment.  This  is  a  fundamental  condition  in  the 
absence  of  which  improvements  are  difficult  to  carry  out 
without  imposing  undeserved  hardships  upon  investors  in  the 
property. 

The  present  service  rendered  by  the  Rhode  Island  Company 
in  Providence  is  not  constitutionally  bad ;  in  some  respects  it 

9 


Report  ox  Tr.\l:i(v\  1:mprovemekt. 


is  better  than  in  other  cities,  and  the  present  deticiencies  can 
be  largely  and  almost  immediately  overcome  by  carrying  out 
a  co-operative  program  in  which  both  City  and  Company  must 
participate  for  effective  results.  Providence  is  a  rapidl}-  grow- 
ing community,  evidencing  an  unusually  high  civic  standard. 
This  standard  is  in  danger  of  defeat  by  virtue  of  impediments 
and  restrictions  to  healthy  progress  that  are  unworthy  of  the 
greater  cause.  A  continued  spirit  of  suspicion  and  antagonism 
between  the  Public  and  Corporation  will  only  bear  fruit  in  the 
form  of  delayed  progress  and  continued  inadequate  service. 
While  the  general  subject  of  franchise  renewal  is  under  con- 
sideration, therefore,  a  genuine  effort  should  be  made  by  all 
concerned  to  effect  the  best  possible  solution  of  the  problem 
in  hand,  by  friendly,  orderly  and  continuous  arbitration,  not 
by  punitive  means. 

The  community  has  outgrown  its  present  streets,  and  should 
create  new  or  enlarged  ones  for  double  track  operation.  The 
down-town  roadways  especially  are  very  cramped,  and  the 
citizens  do  not  seem  to  properly  api)reciate  the  necessity  of 
wider  ones.  Routing  the  majority  of  cars  over  a  few  main 
streets  appears  to  have  been  unduly  influenced  by  the  pres- 
sure of  private  or  business  interests.  The  convergence  of 
the  radial  arteries  has  only  accentuated  this  difficulty.  Street 
obstruction  has  discouraged  fast  schedule  speed ;  slow  run- 
ning has  invited  sluggish  passenger  movement,  and  as  a 
general  result  much  e.xtra  equipment  is  entailed  which  tends 
to  discourage  liberal  yearly  additions  to  the  roiling  stock  neces- 
sary for  adequate  service.  The  shortage  of  cars  in  December 
simply  served  to  focus  attention  upon  the  cumulative  result 
of  these  deficiencies. 


10 


General  Summary  of  Conxlusions. 


Hostile  public  opinion  renders  it  exceedingly  difticult  to 
inaugurate  any  radical  public  improvements  in  Providence  tbat 
would  tend  to  bcnebt  tbe  traction  service,  and  by  tbe  same 
token  it  appears  tbat  tbe  Company  considers  it  useless  to 
attemi)t  any  sucb  improvement  on  its  own  account.  Two 
essential  improvements  are  a  new  loop  terminal  system  at 
Exchange  Place,  as  contemplated  in  previous  years,  and  an 
adequate  East  side  approach  in  tbe  form  of  an  open  street, 
witb  an  easier  grade  tban  now  exists,  or  a  tunnel.  Ultra- 
conservatism  in  the  execution  of  plans  for  an  East  side  ap- 
proach is  largely  responsible  for  the  undeveloped  condition  of 
the  East  side.  Thus  far  it  has  seemed  impossible  for  tbe 
Public  to  agree  upon  any  plan,  however  meritorious,  and 
until  a  decision  is  reached,  tbe  College  Hill  difficulty  cannot 
be  readily  alleviated,  or  the  East  side  service  materially 
improved. 

Thorough  re-routing  in  tbe  terminal  district  is  necessary 
to  relieve  congested  streets  as  later  outlined  in  detail.  Rout- 
ing, however,  requires  much  time  for  execution  and  it  is 
possible  now  only  to  outline  a  general  scheme,  based  upon 
correct  principles.  The  details  of  a  final  solution  can  t^nly 
be  settled  b\'  conference  between  City  and  Company  repre- 
sentatives. Comprehensive  re-routing  involves  the  welfare 
of  tbe  Public  in  sucb  a  variety  of  ways  that  an  acceptable 
plan  can  hardly  be  evolved  by  any  one  per.son  or  interest. 

This  will  also  involve  intelligent  city  planning,  which  should 
not  'be  entrusted  to  accidental  development  or  snap-judgment, 
and  the  establishment  of  a  plan  affording  the  City  definite  pro- 
tection against  the  ultimate  usurpation  of  its  concessions  for 
corporate  gain. 


II 


RkI'ORT   0.\    TkACIIOX    I-MPROXE-MliM'. 


TRANSPORTATION. 

The  transportation  problem  of  Providence  and  \icinity  is 
one  of  a  district,  not  a  city,  and  any  comprehensive  plan 
should  not  disregard  suburban  development,  but  rather  en- 
courage it,  especially  the  East  side. 

Here  is  at  present  the  greatest  opportunity  for  Providence — 
a  large  and  desirable  residential  territory  of  tifty  to  sixty 
thousand  people  within  the  ij.j  mile  circle  west  of  the  Seekonk 
River  and  three  miles  east.  The  work  of  the  East  side 
Approach  Commission  is  of  the  greatest  importance  at  the 
present  state  of  the  City's  development,  and  the  consummation 
of  its  plans  should  not  be  hampered  by  superficial  criticism. 

The  radial  system  of  thoroughfares  is  fortunate  in  respect 
to  maximum  running  time ;  the  East  Side  is  alone  denied  such 
facilities.  ^Moreover,  such  a  system  requires  cross-town  lines 
connecting  outlying  business  or  residence  centres.  The  ab- 
sence of  such  provisions  has  brought  about  widespread  abuse 
of  transfers  by  round-trip  riding. 

The  competition  of  steam  railroads  is  of  little  importance, 
owing  to  infrequency  of  service.  This  ])resumably  results 
from  a  single  management  for  traction  and  railroad  proper- 
ties. In  fact,  the  withdrawal  of  Olneyville  steam  service 
indicates  a  deliberate  fostering  of  the  traction  lines. 

The  City  should  develop  its  nearest  suburbs  first.  In- 
creasing length  of  haul  within  the  five  cent  fare  zone  on  certain 
lines  always  means  decreased  service  on  other  lines,  resulting 
in   still    further  erratic   development. 

Local  co-operation  in  all  plans  for  transit  improvements  is 
essential.  The  idea  of  a  District  Control,  based  upon  adecjuate 
representation,  should  prevail. 

12 


Ge.NEKAL  SlMMAUV  of  CO-XCLUSIO-NS. 


Rapid  Transit.  Subways  have  been  advocated  as  a  means 
of  relief  for  present  congestion,  both  in  the  form  of  sub- 
surface trolley  routes  and  subways  operated  independently 
of  the  trolley  system.  Neither  of  these  systems  are  believed 
to  be  warranted,  at  least  until  far  in  the  future.  The  loading 
district  is  located  in  a  basin  from  which  steep  grades  ascend 
in  all  directions,  and  exits  at  desirable  junction  points  would 
only  accentuate  this  difficulty.  Ample  relief  may  be  secured 
by  other  means  discussed  elsewhere  in  detail.  Providence 
has  not  begun  to  reach  a  sufficient  density  of  population  or 
traffic  to  yield  adequate  returns  on  the  necessary  investment 
in  rapid  transit  subways. 


GROWTH. 

It  is  essential  in  determining  adequate  traction  service  to 
plan  for  present  and  future  growth,  not  only  of  the  district 
as  a  whole,  but  of  its  minor  civil  divisions  and  sub-centers.  As 
considerable  suburban  traffic  exists,  the  traction  problem  of 
Providence  must  also  be  studied  as  that  of  the  Union  R.  R. 
Division  corresponding  practically  to  the  5  cent  zone  which 
usually  extends  to  the  city  limits,  but  in  certain  cases  well 
beyond,  such  as  to  (Jaklawn.  Centredale  and   K.  Providence. 

Providence  has  doubled  its  population  every  20  to  2^  years. 
It  increased  27.5%  in  the  last  decade  while  its  nearest  neigh- 
bor, Boston,  increased  but  19.6%.  With  a  steady  growth  since 
1875  the  City  will  i)robably  approximate  300,000  people  in 
1925,  the  five  cent  fare  zone  386.000  and  the  district  tributary 
to  Providence  in  a  commercial  way,  465,000  persons.  The 
present    distribution    and    recent    growth    within    the    City    is 

13 


Ria'ORT  ox  Tkactiox  Improx'emext. 


unusually  uniform  with  the  exception  of  Federal  Hill,  which 
averages  66.4  persons  per  acre,  and  the  upper  East  side,  lo.i, 
as  against  an  a\'erage  for  the  Cit)-  of  19.25  persons  per  acre. 

Realtv  valuatiDn,  now  Jj>  190,000,000.  has  doubled  in  25 
years  and  is  growing  faster  than  the  po])ulation.  Bank  clear- 
ings, the  best  index  of  prosperity,  have  increased  over  half 
in  twelve  years  and  now  aggregate  $415,000,000.  That  surface 
transportation  is  becoming  more  and  more  essential  is  e^■ident 
from  the  fact  that  traction  earnings  in  percentage  of  bank 
clearings  have  increased  from  0.58  to  o.8'(    since  1898. 

The  Rhode  Island  Company.  Trackage  has  increased 
steadil}-  for  the  last  decade  4.14  miles  per  year  for  the  system, 
3.13  for  the  Union  Divisions,  (which  has  a  total  trackage  of 
152.74)  and  1.48  for  the  City  of  Providence.  'J"he  City  con- 
tains 72.4''^  of  the  trackage  of  the  I'nion  Division  or  88.68 
miles  and  receives  proportionate  income  therefrom.  Ihis 
income  has  been  increasing  during  the  past  ten  years,  but  not 
in  proportion  since  1905. 

The  normal  increase  in  passenger  traffic  and  earnings  for 
the  entire  system  suttered  but  one  pause  in  1907-08,  but  during 
the  past  seven  years  has  increased  to  a  total  of  82.790,000 
fare  passengers  or  61.4''.  'I'he  cit\  riding  has  more  than 
doubled  in  twelve  years. 

Car  e(|uii)ment  increase  has  not  kept  ])ace  with  the  growth 
and  equipment  is  now  about  one  and  one-half  years  l)ehind. 
From  1903  to  1907  traffic  increased  43^'f^  and  car  equipment 
but  2\^' .  Since  1907  no  new  equipment  has  been  put  into 
commission  to  tueet  this  growth  u])  to  March.  191 1.  At  that 
time  there  were  335  cars  available  on  the  Union  Division  for 
the  winter  service,  with  331  cars  called  for  bv  schedule,  also 
353  cars  available  for  summer  service. 

14 


Gexeral  Summary  of  Conclusions. 


The  Rhode  Island  s}stem,  as  a  whole,  earned  about  $9.70 
per  capita  in  1910.  The  Union  Division,  $11.57,  a"<^  the  City 
of  Providence,  only  $8.55.  Assuming  earnings  per  capita 
increasing  as  fast  as  the  population,  an  increase  of  business 
over  80%  must  be  provided  for  the  next  fifteen  years;  i.e., 
a  total  of  about  $6,000,000  earnings  for  the  Union  Division. 
This  law  of  increase  has  been  found  reasonable  for  other 
cities  and  means  that  when  the  population  doubles  the  gross 
earnings  will  be  quadrupled.  This,  then,  is  the  measure  of 
the  traction  problem  of  Providence. 


TRAFFIC  IN  THE  TERMINAL  DISTRICT. 

The  actual  passenger  movement  outbound  from  the  terminal 
loading  district  was  determined  by  actual  count,  during  ]\Iarch, 
at  the  maximum  loading  point  of  the  nine  outlet  throats  of 
travel.  These  counts  show  14.730  passengers  and  11.036  seats 
outbound  during  the  typical  rush  hour.  3:30  to  6:30  P.  M.,  an 
average  loading  of  133. 5^^,  ie.,  Ti^^s'^-  represented  standing 
load.         /^      'f^^ 

During  the  heaviest  ten  minute  period  nearly  one-quarter 
of  the  traffic  occurred  equivalent  to  a  rate  of  22.450  passengers 
per  hour.  For  the  heaviest  twenty  minute  interval  the  load- 
ing varied  from  89 ^^  to  164%  at  indi\idual  throats  or  123.6% 
to  141%  for  the  system. 

During  the  hour,  about  one  car  per  minute  on  the  average 
passed  Hoyle  Square  and  Trinity  Square.  However,  a  max- 
imum car  interval  of  6T/<  minutes  on  r>road  street  and  804 
minutes  at  College  Hill  indicated  considerable  irregularity  in 
running,  no  doubt  partly  due  to  down-town  congestion,  but 

IS 


Report  on  Traction  Improvement. 


also  to  inadequate  dispatching  and  inspection.  Dther  counts 
also  exhibit  this  irregularity  which  occurs  not  only  at  the 
throats  as  a  whole,  but  also  on  individual  routes. 

The  Company  operates  double  service  over  the  Union 
Division  during  rush  hours,  and  on  some  of  the  routes  three 
times  the  service  of  non-rush  hours,  and  endeavors  to  main- 
tain, where  equipment  is  available,  a  standard  for  individual 
car  loading  of  about  165*70,  with  the  exception  of  the  thirty- 
tour  seat  class,  for  which  the  standard  is  too  high,  viz.,  200%. 

Monthly  records  elsewhere  discussed  show  that  the  traffic 
during  February  and  March  is  the  minimum  of  the  year, 
and  that  the  traffic  averages  15.6%  higher  during  the  year 
than  in  March,  December  13.6%  and  July  38.3%  higher.  The 
summer  maximum,  however,  is  not  entirely  coincident  with 
the  rush  hour. 

This  means  that  the  service  rendered,  as  shown  by  the 
above  counts,  was  presumably  much  better  than  during  mid- 
winter conditions. 


SERVICE   REQUIREMENTS. 

Ade(iuate  service  implies  the  just  proportioning  of  service 
to  income.  A]iproximately  70%  of  the  income  is  necessary 
to  operate  and  i)r()vide  for  taxes  and  an  adequate  depreciation 
fund,  .^ince  1907  this  o])erating  ratio  has  been  steadily  de- 
creasing on  the  entire  Rhode  Lsland  .sy.stem.  For  the  Union 
Division  the  traffic  during  the  i)ast  four  years  increased  6.75%, 
while  the  car  mileage  decreased  i.i'^'^  with  ap|)roximately  tlie 
same    ec|uipment.      To    equalize    this    growth    an    increase    in 


GeXKRAL   Sr.M.MAKV   OF   LoXCI.l'.SlO.N  S. 


service  of  1,622,300  car  miles  or  17.2%  should  have  been  made 
in  19 10  and  distributed  over  the  various  lines  of  the  division. 

With  decreased  car  mileage  the  earnings  per  car  mile  have 
increased  to  an  excessive  degree;  likewise  the  total  nunilicr 
of  passengers  i)cr  car  mile  carried.  In  Providence,  essentially 
a  short  haul  city,  these  earnings  would  presumably  be  higher 
than  in  a  long  haul  city,  but  they  should  hardly  exceed  30c. 
per  car  mile  with  jjresent  equipment. 

The  track  mileage  has  not  increased  at  the  necessary  rate 
of  about  3.6  miles  i)er  year  to  keep  pace  with  the  population. 
Since  1901  the  rate  has  averaged  2.5  miles  per  year.  This 
accounts  for  the  lack  of  much  double  tracking  needed  through- 
out the  system.  'Jhe  average  population  per  mile  of  route 
for  the  city  is  nearly  3.000,  but  the  maximum  is  as  high  as 
13,700  along  Atwells-Academy   avenues. 

The  average  loading  shown  by  the  March  counts  I33.5'^<' 
is  not  an  unreasonable  standard  for  rush  hour  conditions  in 
Providence,  and  may  be  taken  as  a  basis  for  service  estimates. 
With  the  increase  necessary  for  the  traffic  of  last  December 
12,600  seats  per  hour  were  recpiired  to  handle  16,740  passen- 
gers per  hour.  This  means  that  the  present  winter  schedule 
should  have  been  increased  13.4%  to  give  as  good  service  in 
December  as  occurred  in  March. 

Cars.  In  order  to  fulfill  this  standard  the  rate  of  car  flow 
through  the  loading  district  during  December  should  have 
been  362  cars  ])er  hour  of  the  j^resent  type.  The  present 
winter  schedule  calls  for  331  cars  to  be  actually  in  service 
on  the  lines  of  the  Union  Division,  but  on  this  basis  of  De- 
cember traffic  ^/=,  cars  of  the  present  type  were  recjuired  for 
adequate  service. 


17 


Report  ox  Tractiox  Improvement. 


Here  it  must  be  stated  clearly  that  any  increase  in  schedule 
speed  as  contemplated  in  this  report  will  result  in  a  propor- 
tionate increase  in  car  mileage  for  the  same  equipment,  or 
vice  versa,  less  equipment  for  the  same  service.  It  is,  there- 
fore, l)ut  just  that  the  Company  should  have  been  permitted 
to  avail  itself  of  such  an  increase  and  had  this  been  the  case 
it  is  possible  that  adequate  service  might  have  been  furnished 
with  the  present  equipment  by  means  of  proportionatel\-  faster 
schedules.  For  the  future,  additional  equipment  will  be  re- 
quired at  the  maximum  rate  of  20  cars  per  year  to  provide 
only  for  normal  growth  and  more  will  be  required  for  retiring 
obsolete  and  worn  out  cars.  The  Company  actually  increased 
its'  equipment  at  the  rate  of  50  cars  per  year  from  1901  to 
1907,  of  which  about  43  cars  should  have  been  assigned  to 
the   L'nion  Division. 


SERVICE  IMPROVEMENTS. 

The  most  important  improvement  in  service  immediately 
needed  is  an  increase  in  schedule  speed,  which  averages  only 
7.96  miles  per  hour ;  entirely  too  low  in  a  cit\-  of  radial  thor- 
oughfares. Some  of  the  lines  average  little  more  than  six 
miles  per  hour  and  in  actual  running,  below  this.  CJther  lines, 
where  reasonably  free  running  is  possible,  make  better  time — 
nine  miles  per  hour.  By  city  ordinance  the  s])eed  of  cars  is 
limited,  for  the  greater  part  <^f  the  city,  outside  of  the  business 
district,  to  nine  miles  per  hour.  Autoniobiles  are  permitted 
fifteen  miles  per  hour.  This  limitation  upon  cars  is  unjust 
aftd  in  fact,  even  the  present  sUtw  schedule  could  not  be  made 
without  infraction  of  the  rules,  for  15  to  30^  of  the  time  is 

t8 


(JKXKKAL   SlMMARV  OF  CONCLUSIONS. 


required  for  stops  and  perhaps  50%  of  the  remainder  for 
acceleration  and  braking.  Railway  transportation  should  not 
only  be  given  the  preference  of  right  of  way  over  vehicles, 
but  the  same  rules  for  maximum  speed  should  appl}'.  For 
the  same  element  of  danger  involved,  cars  operating  upon 
a  fixed  track  with  air  brakes  and  fenders  could  obviously 
operate  at  teast  as  fast  as  undirected  vehicles. 

Suburban  development  practically  dictates  the  necessitx  of 
limited  stop  expresses.  If  separate  routes  can  be  found  for 
routing  them  outside  of  the  congested  local  arteries  of  tratitic, 
these  should  be  largely  reserved  for  this  important  service. 
White  posts  indicating  stopping  points  average  within  the 
settled  districts  of  Providence  approximately  250  feet  apart 
or  twenty  stops  per  mile.  These  are  entirely  too  frequent 
for  making  satisfactory  running  time.  The  spacing  of  500 
feet  would  be  quite  reasonable  and  would  permit  a  stop  at 
about  every  second  street,  which  is  sufficient. 

Schedule  delays  now  result  from  congestion  in  the  loading 
district  which  is  unavoidable,  holdups  at  single  track  turnouts, 
counter-operation  at  intersections  with  main  arteries,  and  from 
general  lack  of  promptness  in  dispatching  and  running  of  cars 
throughout  the  system.  More  rigid  inspection  and  discipline 
will  remove  the  last  objection  and  more  double  tracking,  more 
frequent  turnouts  with  closer  regulation  of  signs  and  opera- 
tion of  vehicles  the  remainder,  assuming,  of  course,  the  realiza- 
tion of  contemplated  plans  for  the  relief  of  the  downtown 
thoroughfares. 

Electric  switches  should  be  installed  at  all  important  junc- 
tion points,  at  least  within  the  loading  district,  to  save  switch- 
ins:  time. 


19 


Report  ox  Tractio.n  Improxemext, 


Night  service  should  be  extended  on  all  principal  lines 
and  emergency  routing  provided. 

Crosstown  lines  will  be  required  in  the  near  future  to  con- 
nect various  outlying  communities  of   interest. 

Transfer  abuse,  which  is  quite  prevalent  in  Providence 
should  be  corrected  b\-  some  selective  method,  possibly  by 
sectioning  the  various  districts  of  the  city  by  means  of  colors. 
The  present  transfer  privileges  are  liberal  and  the  Company 
should  be  protected  from  this  source  of  petty  fraud,  i.  e., 
round  trip  riding  for  a  single  fare. 

Ivxpress  service  to  (31neyville  is  urgently  retjuired.  It  is 
believed  that  Broadway  offers  the  best  oi)portunity  for  such 
a  service  at  present,  looping  at  Tv.xchange  Place  via  Fountain 
and  Washington  streets.  In  the  future  the  demand  lor  an 
F.ast  Side-West  Side  electrification  of  the  steam  lines  through 
Union  Station  will  probably  occur,  giving  direct  service  from 
South  Providence  and  Olneyville  to  East  Providence  and  the 
South  shore. 

Trolley  freight  should  be  absolutely  excluded  from  import- 
ant arteries  during  rush  hours  and  separate  routes  reserved 
as  far  as  possible  for  this  .service,  having  in  mind  the  ultimate 
establishment  of  a  central  interurban  freight  terminal  more 
suited  to  the  needs  of  the  city  than  the  present  one. 


EQUIPMENT   IMPROVEMENTS. 

The  i)re.sent  rolling  stock  operated  is  about  ecjually  divided 
between  summer  and  winter  types.  Of  the  winter  equipment 
about  28'^6  of  the  total  number  represents  small  single  truck 
cars,   but   this   is  only   21 '^    of   the   .seatijig  capacity.      These 

20 


GkXKKAL   SlM.MAKV  (11"   Co.NCLUSlOXS. 


small  cars  will  be  a  necessity  until  a  suitable  luist  Side 
approach  is  determined  upon,  then  they  should  be  retired  for 
larger  equipment. 

In  all  of  the  present  cars  the  vestibules  are  entirely  too 
small  and  constricted,  although  the  thirty-four  and  forty-two 
seat  class  cars  are  otherwise  of  suitable  proportions,  and  the 
latter  of  excellent  design  and  construction.  This  narrow 
vestibule  has  been  necessary  on  the  largest  cars  to  keep  within 
the  present  ordinances  limiting  cars  as  to  length  and  still 
give  the  required  seating  capacity  of  car  body. 

Prcl>a\mcnt.  Modern  praclice-unmistakably  points  to  the 
acceptance  of  the  prepayment  type  of  car.  which  will  neces- 
sitate longer  platfofmsT"  Fortunately,  the  citizens  of  Provi-| 
dence  are  already  educated  to  the  essential  prepayment  princi- 
ple, viz..  direct  automatic  registration  by  the  i)assenger.  Con- 
trarv  to  the  opinion  of  many  patrons,  this  device  prevents  pos- 
sible fraud  of  both  conductor  and  passenger  and  secures  to 
the  latter  the  maximum  possible  service.  Prepayment  plat- 
forms separate  incoming  and  outgoing  passengers  and  thus 
load  more  (juickly.  the  general  movement  being  forward 
through  the  car.  The  conductor  is  stationed  at  the  rear  and 
collects  fares  on  entering.  In  the  type  of  car  best  suited  to 
Providence  conditions,  bulkheads  are  omitted  and  the  step 
raises  automatically  with  the  closing  of  the  i)latform  doors, 
thus  preventing  accident  and  facilitating  rapid  schedule  speed. 

By  tapering  platforms  it  is  possible  to  increase  the  present 
length  of  platform  from  5  feet  to  at  least  6  feet  6  inches  and 
the  overhang  of  the  platform  bumper  is  thereby  reduced  to 
no  greater  than  the  present  summer  or  winter  cars.  The 
citv  ordinances  should,  therefore,  be  amended  to  restrict  over- 
hang rather  than  length. 

21 


Report  ox  Traction  Improvement. 


A  seating  arrangement  in  which  at  least  half  are  cross 
seats  should  be  adopted  for  the  City  cars  and  with  all  cross 
seats  for  long  haul  suburban  cars. 

Coiii'crtiblc  Cars.  Semi-convertible  cars  should  be  grad- 
ually put  into  service.  While  quite  as  comfortable  as  open 
bench  cars,  they  will  largely  reduce  accidents  and  avoid  an 
unnecessary  duplication  of  investment  in  rolling  stock.  Re- 
moval of  the  sides  in  warm  weather  creates  practically  a 
centre  aisle  open  car. 

Single  ended  operation  is  recommended  for  loop  lines  of 
heavy  traffic.  By  removing  the  electrical  and  brake  equip- 
ment from  the  rear  platform  much  valuable  loading  space 
will  be  available.  With  this  imi)rovement  the  present  Bradley 
cars  and  vestibules  might  possibly  be  used  with  the  prepay- 
ment principle  until  they  are  worn  out. 

The  present  standard  height  of  step  of  14^4  inches  is  not 
unreasonable.  The  wider  lift  step  of  the  prepayment  plat- 
form will  reduce  the  present  objection  of  the  steps  being  too 
steep,  i.  e..  having  insufficient  landing  space. 

b^lectric  signal  bells  should  lie  installed  on  all  cars  and  tlie 
lighting  improved  by  replacing  exhausted  lamps.  Head  lights 
should  be  dimmed  within   the  City  limits. 

Car  If()iiscs.  1  he  present  standard  n{  construction  is 
adequate  except  that  it  does  not  provide  for  double  ended 
car  houses,  enabling  cars  to  enter  and  leave  at  oj^jjosite  ends, 
being  cleaned  and  inspected  in  transit.  The  older  car  houses 
should  be  remodelled  or  rebuilt  entirely,  and  additional  ones 
constructed  in  the  \orth  and  I'.ast  side  in  the  near  future. 


22 


Ghxkkal  Sr.MMAUV  OF  Conclusions. 


The  present  standard  of  inspection,  cleaning  and  repairs  is 
reasonable  if  adhered  to,  but  this  cannot  l)e  without  proper 
facilities. 

Owing  to  the  transmission  distance  necessary  for  the  lonj^er 
lines,  excessive  drop  in  voltage  occurs  on  some  of  these  lines. 
This  can  only  be  remedied  without  excessive  investment  in 
copper  by  outlaying  sub-stations,  which  will  be  recjuired  as  the 
system   grows. 

Tracks.  Concrete  sub-base  tracks,  now  standard,  is  good 
practice  and  should  be  extended  in  all  renewal  work  on  trunk 
lines  of  heavy  traffic.  This  standard,  however,  is  not  being 
adhered  to  during  this  season's  work.  ]\Iuch  double  tracking 
is  necessary  to  properly  handle  the  traffic  now  existing,  and 
track  mileage  should  increase  faster  tlian  the  present  rate. 
Electric  switches  should  be  installed  immediately  at  the  im- 
portant switching  points  on  trunk  lines.  Electrical  semaphore 
signals  for  single  track  turn-outs  are  being  tried  out.  and 
should  be  extended  over  the  important  lines  if  successful. 


CITY  PLANNING. 

Without  elTective  co-operation  between  the  City  and  the 
Company  the  plans  for  traction  improvements  recommended 
in  this  report  can  be  but  of  little  avail.  These  improvements 
are  so  essential  to  orderly  municipal  development  that  the 
work  should  be  properly  executed  by  some  technicalh-  con- 
stituted commission.  This  body  should  first  study  vehicle 
traffic  in  relation  to  street  congestion  to  properly  supplement 
the  transit  studies  presented  herein. 


^Z 


Report  ox  Tkaci  iox  1.mpko\i-:mi:xt. 

Street  widening  forms  an  essential  step  in  any  such  plans, 
especially  at  Constitution  Hill,  and  Randall,  Steeple,  Aborn, 
Snow  or  Mathewson  and  Smith  streets.  The  double  tracking 
of  Smith  street  is  necessary  to  the  fuller  development  of  the 
suburban  territory  along  this  important  ra<lial  thoroughfare. 
Aborn  street  offers  an  effective  outlet  to  the  west  side  arteries 
—  Broadway  and  Atwells  avenue.  The  widening  of  Snow  or 
Mathewson  street  is  essential  ior  transverse  routing-  and  un- 
doubtedlv  jiresents  serious  prol)lems.  The  North  ^la.in  street 
lines  urgently  re(iuire  the  alx^lition  of  the  counter  travel  and 
the  congestion  now  occurring  at  Mill  street. 

An  East  Side  approach  is  absolutely  essential  and  alterna- 
tives are  practically  eliminated  with  the  exception  of  the  open 
grade  street  and  the  traction  tunnel.  The  open  grade  street 
is  preferable  from  many  standpoints,  principally  on  the  score 
of  need  for  such  a  thoroughfare  for  the  proper  development 
of  such  a  large  territory.  It  should  extend  from  Post  ( )ffice 
Square  in  preference  to  Market  Square,  as  the  least  con- 
gested and  most  logical  point  available  for  the  most  eff'ective 
routing. 

Cit\-  planning  should  be  broadly  constructed  and  not  nig- 
gardly. It  should  not  be  needlessly  hampered  by  tradition. 
Prevention  is  always  cheaper  than  cure. 

Cotiscn-ation  of  City's  hitcrcsts.  The  recommendations 
contained  in  this  report  f(^r  increased  facilities  to  be  made 
available  to  the  railroad  company  raises  the  ([uestion — What 
is  the  City  to  receive  in  return  for  its  activities  and  expendi- 
tures in  making  possible  better  transit  and  what  assurance 
has  the  City  that  when  all  these  improvements  have  been 
granted,    the    railway    company    will    not    take    advantage    of 


24 


Gkxickal  Sr.MMAkv  of  CoNci.rsioNs. 


them  solelv  for  its  own  benefit,  and  not  for  the  benefit  of  its 
patrons  at  large?  And  if  these  improvements  are  incorpor- 
ated in  its  franchise  what  assurance  will  the  City  have  that, 
even  though  the  present  management  is  disposed  to  deal  fairly 
with  the  City,  some  future  management  otherwise  disposed 
should  not  seek  to  annul  or  jeopardize  these  concessions  by 
failing  to  fulfill  the  conditions  of  service  contemplated 
thereby  ? 

Piiblicitx.  The  answer  to  all  of  these  questions  is  PUB- 
LICITY. With  the  facts  regarding  its  daily  operation  con- 
tinuallv  on  record,  no  management,  however  adroit,  could 
conceal  a  deliberate  curtailment  in  service,  providing  the 
standards  of  such  service  were  written  into  its  franchise. 

This  result  may  be  accomplished  either  l)y  defining  respec- 
tivelv  the  apportionment  of  earnings  allotted  to  service  and 
the  return  on  investment,  or  by  defining  standards  of  service 
that  mav  be  determined  from  records  and  checked  by  counts. 
These  records  must  be  maintained  through  co-operation  of 
Citv  and  Company.  No  reasonable  management  can  object 
to  an  authorized  record  of  its  operations,  provided  these 
operations  conceal  no  deliberate  intent  to  extract  greater  re- 
turns out  of  the  property  than  is  warranted  by  its  patronage. 

Even  if  the  most  perfect  i)lan  of  operation  were  evoherl 
and  incorporated  in  definite  charter  form,  it  must  be  borne 
in  mind  that  service  cannot  be  predicted  accurately  for  all 
time  to  come.  The  riding  habit  is  subject  to  such  unaccount- 
able variations  as  to  require  continuous  and  analytical  study 
in  order  that  the  service  shall  be  at  all  times  reasonably 
adequate. 

Publicity,  simply  by  virtue  of  its  existence,  disarms  unin- 
telligent  criticism,  and  maintaining  a  co-operative  record  by 

25 


Ri:i>()HT  ox  Tkaciidx  I.mprovemi:xt. 


City  and  Company  will  operate  as  an  effective  protection  of 
the  latter  against  attacks  not  founded  on  facts. 

Supervision.  But  manifestly  the  personnel  of  such  official 
ort^anization  authorized  to  keep  such  a  record  must  be  clear 
of  political  bias  and  of  unquestionable  professional  integrity. 
Such  work  might  be  properly  intrusted  to  a  local  engineer 
of  ability  and  experience  in  railway  lines. 

Until  such  local  supervision  is  established  there  is  no  as- 
surance except  the  reputation  and  good  faith  of  the  railway 
management  that  the  City  will  receive  and  continue  to  receive 
its  just  share  in  the  results  of  the  improvements  it  inaugurates. 
If  a  State  Public  Service  Commission  were  m  existence, 
clothed  with  effective  powers  of  investigation  and  direction 
by  specific  order,  such  local  authority  would  in  no  sense  be 
necessary.  The  powers  of  the  present  Railroad  Commissioner 
are  so  curtailed  and  inadequate  to  meet  the  situation  that  a 
local  authority  becomes  necessary  if  a  State  Commission  is 
not  organized. 


REROUTING   AND   SERVICE   REDISTRIBUTION. 

In  working  out  the  ])robleni  of  rerouting  it  is  very  impor- 
tant that  a  plan  be  developed  through  orderly  and  friendly 
co-operation  between  City  and  Company  representatives,  and 
that  improvements  be  discussed  from  time  to  time  in  the 
same  manner. 

Rerouting  is  a  matter  for  arbitration  ratlier  than  individual 
judgment*.  Xo  "One  Man"  plan  can  ever  be  a  success.  The 
report  attempts  to  develop  methods  of  analysis  that  may  be 
followed  and  to  direct  attention  to  improvements  most  needed, 

26 


CIknkral  Slmmakv  of  Conclusions. 


based  upon  such  limited  observations  as  were  possible  within 
the  short  time  available.  A  complete  study  should  compre- 
hend at  least  one  year's  seasonal  changes. 

Loadiiii^  District.  Relief  of  the  down-town  thorouijhfares 
is  based  upon,  first,  a  study  of  street  capacities,  and  second,  a 
redistribution  of  cars  by  routes.  The  general  principles  dis- 
cussed are  embodied  in  certain  definite  rerouting  plans.  (  )ne 
additional  plan  has  been  submitted  by  the  Company.  Any 
of  the  four  plans  is  feasible  and  reduces  the  general  rush  hour 
congestion  of  streets  from  one-third  to  one-half,  and  con- 
siderably below  the  limit  of  street  capacity,  which  the  present 
routing  plan  exceeds  in  many  cases.  For  the  present  speed 
limit,  6  miles  per  hour,  not  more  than  80  to  90  cars  per 
hour  should  pass  along  any  track  in  the  loading  district. 
There  are  now  1 10  cars  on  \\'estminster  street  and  133  on 
^^'eybosset. 

In  general,  cars  should  be  routed  as  directly  through  the 
business  district  as  possible  without  diversion  until  a  street 
of  suitable  width  is  reached.  Long  haul  suburbans  should 
be  looped  back,  where  possible,  just  outside  the  center  of  the 
city,  in  order  to  .save  delay.  Counter  operation  should  be 
abolished  and  individual  or  double  track  provided  whenever 
possible.  A  walk  of  one  block  is  considered  to  be  reasonably 
convenient  service  to  any  shopping  district.  The  Friendship 
Street  extension  and  Fenner  and  Claverick  streets  are  re- 
quired for  the  most  effective  routing  of  South  Providence 
lines ;  and  the  Fxchange  Place  loop  and  an  Fast  side  approach 
are  considered  as  essential   parts  of  any   improvement. 

Outlying  District.  Recommendations  are  based  upon  pas- 
senger   counts    on    individual    routes,    in    connection    with    a 


27 


Ri-;i'(tKr  ox  'I'uAi  I  ION   I.Mi'Ro\i:.\ii-:.\" 


study  of  yearly,  seasonal  and  month!)-  records  of  trat^c  and 
earnings  by  routes  and  of  daily  trip  cards.  While  the  problem, 
as  a  whole,  involved  a  total  increase  of  1,622.000  car  miles  for 
the  year  1910,  an  immediate  solution  can  only  be  suggested 
along  lines  of  trackage  extension,  decreased  headway,  short 
haul  extras,  limited  expresses,  etc.,  any  changes  in  present 
schedules  and  routing  will  so  modify  the  results  that  it  is 
idle  to  specify  improvements  in  minute  detail.  Earnings  on 
most  lines  are  high  enough  to  justify  these  improvements. 
With  the  Company  rests  the  responsibility  for  initiating  the 
steps  (and  carrying  out  future  studies)  suggested  herein. 

Providence  is  a  short  haul  city.  The  average  ride  is  onl\ 
2.07  miles,  which  results  in  unusually  high  earning  caj^acity. 
Rush  hour  loading  in  many  cases  is  too  heavv.  especiallv 
on  long  haul  routes,  standing  loads  contnuiing  for  4  to  3 
miles.  But  a  number  of  additional  routes  can  be  devised  as 
short  haul  extras  to  reduce  this.  Lower  limits  of  car  capacitv 
should,  therefore,  be  imposed  on  long  haul  than  on  short  haul 
loading  and  the  extension  of  the  Hmitod  stop  express  idea  is 
recommended  largely  with  this  end  in  \iew.  The  greatest 
single  factor  in  any  improvement  plan  is  increased  s[)eed  and 
passenger  movement,  for  by  this  means,  the  same  results 
may  be  achieved  without  needless  extra  investment  in  e(|uip- 
ment  and  operating  expense  resulting  therefrom.  The  average 
interval  observed  between  some  3,000  stops  was  over  500  feet, 
so  that  the  spacing  of  white  posts  suggested  will  more  than 
meet  the  needs  of  the  average  patron. 

The  establishment  of  through  routes  may  be  stronglv  com- 
mended. .Most  of  the  present  ones  are  on  a  good  paying  basis 
and,  froiu  time  to  time  other  CDiniections  between  short  haul 


28 


General  Summary  ue  Conclusions. 


lines  should  be  devised  to  further  relieve  down-town  conges- 
tion. Limited  stop  expresses  for  long  haul  patrons  only,  seem 
to  be  feasible  under  the  present  conditions.  Much  double 
tracking  is  necessary  in  order  to  properly  handle  the  traffic 
and  to  avoid  the  serious  delays  at  meeting  points  now 
encountered. 

Finally,  it  must  be  recalled  that  this  investigation  concerns 
officially  only  the  City  of  Providence.  Although  the  studies 
necessarily  embraced  the  entire  traction  district,  recommenda- 
tions were  properly  confined  to  the  City  for  the  reason  that 
ho  form  of  co-operative  District  control  is  now  in  existence. 
However,  in  some  instances,  conditions  outside  the  city  limits 
have  been  treated,  but  it  will  be  apparent  that  this  report 
might  be  logically  supplemented  by  further  studies,  bv  local 
officials  of  the  suburban  districts,  and,  especially,  studies  of 
the  ensuing  summer  traffic  which  forms  so  important  a  part 
of  suburban  transportation. 


29 


Section  I. 

GENERAL  ANALYSIS  OF  PRESENT  CONDITIONS. 


Synopsis:  Shortage  of  cars.  Delayed  car  orders.  Greater 
speed  of  car  and  passenger  movement  essential.  Co- 
operation of  City  necessary.  City  streets  oittgrozvn. 
Realty  values  risint:;.  Steam  suburban  sen-ice  in- 
volved. Corporations  on  the  defc)isive.  Public  dis- 
trust. Publicity  of  results  and  intentions  desirable. 
Re-routing  imperative.  Construction  program  for 
City   and   Company   needed. 

The  present  traffic  investigation  is  the  result  of  expiring 
franchises  and  a  shortage  in  cars  during  the  past  winter,  due 
to  delayed  deliveries  from  the  builder;  bad  weather  naturally 
aggravated  the  shortage  difficulty.  It  appears  from  the  records 
that  practically  no  new  cars  have  been  added  or  put  into 
service  by  the  Rhode  Island  Company  since  the  summer  of 
1907.  and  the  order  for  fifty  new  Bradley  cars,  placed  early 
in  19 10.  was  intended  to  relieve  the  situation  during  the  past 
winter.  Owing  to  conditions  at  the  car  factory,  outside  of  the 
control  of  the  Rhode  Island  Company,  according  to  its  reports, 
deliveries  were  not  commenced  until  191  t.  and  completed 
during  the  latter  part  of  March,  sd  tiiat  the  Company  was 
forced  to  handle  its  winter  traffic  with  a  total  of  365  cars, 
including  reserve,  operating  in  or  into  I'ntvidence.  At  the 
present  time  it  has  415  cars  available,  an  increase  in  actual 
seating  capacity  of  nearly  20^^.  including  all  old  rolling  stock- 
that   may   be   scheduled    for   withdrawal    during   the    present 

31 


Report  u.\  Tuactiox  Improvement, 


season.  To  a  certain  degree  the  cessation  of  car  orders  after 
1907  was  but  logical  owing  to  the  questionable  future  presented 
by  the  depression  of  that  year  (  Fig.  i.)  and  that  the  renewed 
growth  of  igo8  was  again  checked  in  1909. 

The  excessive  loading  during  December  served  to  bring  to 
the  public  notice  the  bad  conditions  prevalent  sufficient  to 
develop  a  hostile  public  feeling  (and  to  accelerate  the  present 
investigation). 

It  appears  clear  that  the  Company  has  not  kci)t  fully  abreast 
the  demand  for  new  equipment.  From  1902  to  1910  inclusive, 
the  revenue  fares  on  the  entire  system  increased  62%,  while 
the  car  equipment  increased  only  22'^^ .  It  is  also  true,  however, 
that  the  conditions  causing  undue  congestion  within  the  load- 
ing district  of  the  City  are  directly  or  indirectly  responsible 
for  a  large  share  of  the  dissatisfaction  expressed  regarding 
tlie  traction  service.  With  the  present  limited  trackage  and 
extreme  concentration  of  traffic  along  certain  streets,  adequate 
service  can  hardly  be  expected  in  Providence  with  any  amount 
of  e(|uipment.  for  the  reason  that  it  is  impossible  to  maintain 
a  reasonable  schedule  speed  and  secure  the  proper  mileage 
per  car.  The  speed  is  further  retarded  within  the  City  by 
the  excessive  number  of  stops.  Absence  of  prepayment  fare 
collection,  short  and  constricted  platforms,  general  absence  of 
prompt  movement  on  the  part  of  both  passengers  and  train- 
men, constitute  further  retarding  influences  which  should  be 
improved.  Much  can  be  accom])lished  by  j^rompt.  rigid  dis- 
])atching  and   ins])ection. 

The  most  im])ortant  factor  in  the  present  problem  is  in- 
creased speed  of  car  movement  through  down-town  districts 
and  of  passenger  movement  at  all  points.     Ra])id  car  move- 


32 


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190e     03      04-      1905     06       07        o©       09      1910       II  12 

FIGURE  1— RECORD  OF  GROWTH,  RHODE  ISLAND 
COMPAXV. 

Representing'  tlie  relative  growth  of  passenger  traffic,  track 
mileage  and  rolling  stock  for  the  past  seven  years  within  the  State. 
This  corresponds  to  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30th.  Note  the 
decrease  in  passenger  traffic,  1908  to  1909,  to  which  may  be  ascribed 
about  half  of  the  retrenchment  in  rolling  stock,  i.  e.,  car  equipment 
is  about  IS  months  behind  in   normal  growth. 

33 


General  Analysis  of  Present  Conditions. 

ment  can  only  be  brought  about  by  thorough  re-routing  in  the 
terminal  district  to  equalize  more  logically  the  distribution  of 
cars  according  to  the  available  street  capacity.  This  will 
require  widened  roadways,  new  tracks,  extensions,  new  streets 
and  a  new  terminal  loop  system  centering  in  Exchange  Place. 

These  improvements  cannot  be  carried  out  without  the  co- 
operation of  the  City  and  the  acceptance  by  its  citizens  of 
reasonable  recommendations  for  relief.  The  Company  seems 
to  have  been  influenced  in  the  past  to  adopt  certain  routings 
not  calculated  to  serve  the  best  interests  of  the  City  as  a 
whole.  Hut  a  broad-minded  policy  of  re-routing  should  now 
be  adopted  to  care  for  the  future  as  well  as  the  present.  And 
it  is  especially  important  that  the  City  should  not  be  niggardly 
in  its  provisions  for  proper  routing.  The  City  has  now 
reached  a  point  where  it  has  outgrown  its  streets  without 
having  exerted  itself  toward  a  general  improvement.  Street 
widening  is  necessarily  expensive  now,  but  it  usually  becomes 
more  so  as  time  goes  on,  especially  along  those  thoroughfares 
which  are  a  logical  necessity  for  traction  service.  The  Eddy 
Street  widening  is  a  good  start.  Where  present  prices  are 
prohibitive  the  sidewalks  must  be  sacrificed,  or  else  new 
streets  cut  through  property  of  less  value. 

It  is  an  established  principle  borne  out  in  every  municipality 
that  transportation  is  the  key-note  to  development,  and  that 
realty  values  generally  reflect  the  conditions  of  local  trans- 
portation. This  is  borne  out  in  a  most  astonishing  manner  in 
northern  Manhattan  Island,  where  the  realty  values  rose  in 
five  years  after  the  building  of  the  present  subway,  to  an 
amount  equal  to  more  than  the  entire  cost  of  the  subway 
proper  from  the  Battery  north.     It  is.  therefore,  emphasized 


34 


Ri-:roKT  ox  Traction'  Impro\'emext. 


that  the  City  cannot  afford  to  avoid  provision  for  future  de- 
velopment, nor,  on  the  other  hand,  can  the  Corporation  afford 
to  neglect  this  provision  in  its  own  domain ;  if  anything,  it 
should  be  somewhat  in  advance  of  the  population  in  its  ex- 
tension, for  only  by  this  means  can  it  enlarge  its  radius  of 
activity  and  include  in  its  tributaries  the  suburban  population 
which  uncjuestionably  must  be  ultimately  diverted  to  the  steam 
roads  if  reasonable  facilities  are  not  available  on  the  electric 
lines. 

It  is  not  a  function  of  this  report  to  consider  the  relations 
between  electric  and  steam  service,  both  of  which  are  handled 
in  Providence  by  the  same  corporation.  It  should  be  said, 
however,  that  even  though  both  steam  and  electric  lines  are 
under  one  management,  this  fact  by  itself  constitutes  no  valid 
reason  for  forcing  an  interchange  of  traffic  desirable  to  the 
Corporation  but  opposed  by  the  patrons.  As  a  general  prin- 
ciple, transportation  must  be  furnished  where  it  is  demanded. 
The  only  way  in  which  a  corporation  should  accomplish  a 
desired  diversion  of  traffic  from  steam  to  electric  lines  or 
vice  versa  is  not  by  curtailing  the  one,  but  by  improving  the 
other  so  greatly  as  to  insure  its  immediate  acceptance.  After 
such  a  demonstratjon,  public  animosity  will  not  be  aroused  by 
the  change,  such  as  would  be  the  case  if  the  situation  was 
forced  by  the  deliberate  curtailing  of  one  division  of  the 
service. 

The  Corporation  is  now  in  a  position  where  the  hostility  of 
the  Public  prevents  it  asking  for  and  executing  improvements 
really  needed  and  where  operating  conditions  are  officially 
sanctioned,  which  would  not  be  permitted  against  its  better 
judgment  under  more  fortunate  relations.    The  essential  thing 


General  Analysis  of  Present  Conditions. 

for  the  Corporation  is  to  encourage  increase  in  the  riding 
habit.  This  can  only  be  done  by  good  service.  Adequate 
service  requires  friendly  co-operation  between  Public  and 
Company;  consequently,  no  enlightened  management  would 
deliberately  tolerate  obvious  short-comings  within  the  organiza- 
tion, which  would  tend  to  seriously  reduce  its  earning  capacity, 
if  these  could  be  avoided. 

But  it  cannot  safely  be  assumed  by  the  City  that  its  co- 
operation in  the  matter  of  thoroughfare  improvements  will 
necessarily  be  reciprocated  in  the  improved  service  anticipated 
to  a  proportionate  degree.  And  the  only  way  in  which  the 
City  can  be  assured  that  it  is  receiving  the  degree  of  service 
equivalent  to  its  rightful  expectations  is  by  the  systematic 
recording  of  service  provided.  The  keeping  of  this  record 
in  the  form  of  cars  and  seats  operated  and  passengers  carried, 
transfers,  accidents,  new  equipment,  maintenance,  etc.,  should 
become  a  specific  function  of  some  branch  of  the  City  govern- 
ment. Partaking  of  none  of  the  characteristics  of  public 
utility  regulation,  it  is  merely  a  running  record  of  value  re- 
ceived, based  upon  periodical  reports  from  the  Corporation 
and  occasionally  checked  as  conditions  warrant  by  actual 
observation. 

It  is  firmly  believed  that  the  maintenance  of  such  an  official 
record  would  secure  and  perpetuate  the  relations  desired  be- 
tween the  Company  and  the  Public  l)y  virtue  of  the  ]:)Ositive 
character  of  the  record.  Without  this,  a  change  in  the  policy 
of  the  management,  which  is  liable  to  occur  at  any  time, 
might  easily  result  in  a  nullification  of  advantages  which  the 
City  had  a  right  to  expect  in  return  for  its  liberality  in  the 
matter  of  thoroughfares  and  other  concessions  to  the  Company. 


Report  ox  Traction  Lmprovemknt. 


The  past  has  demonstrated  that  local  opposition  has  been 
chiefly  instrumental  in  defeating  meritorious  plans  for  better- 
ment ;  for  example.  Exchange  Place  tracks  and  the  East  Side 
tunnel.  Both  of  these  commendable  improvements  have  been 
voluntarily  oiTered  by  the  Company,  and  finally  rejected  by 
the  City  for  reasons  which  now  appear  to  be  inadequate. 
Undue  conservatism  usually  brings  but  one  result. — to  retard 
the  normal  healthy  development  of  a  community,  or  at  the 
most,  to  develop  it  along  erratic  lines. 

The  great  necessity  in  constructive  public  work  is  fore- 
sight. The  tendency  is  too  much  to  cut  the  pattern  to  the 
cloth.  Thoroughfare  improvements  are  particularly  hampered 
by  this  hand-to-mouth  policy.  It  is  believed  that  with  the 
resources  of  the  City  of  Providence,  a  program  of  improve- 
ments should  be  inaugurated  covering  a  term  of  years,  that 
will  go  far  to  rectify  the  present  congested  conditions  respect- 
ing transportation  along  its  streets.  Comprehensive  re-routing 
at  this  time  will  unquestionably  relieve  present  conditions,  but 
the  future  will  not  care  for  itself,  and  such  a  program  of 
public  improvement  should  have  in  view  serving  the  thousands 
of  additional  citizens  to  come  within  the  City's  borders  or 
suburbs.  Clipping  a  curb  here  and  there  will  not  accomplish 
such  a  result;  an  adequate  East  side  approach  or  tunnel  will. 


Z7 


TRANSPORTATION  ABOUT  PROVIDEN&E. 


Synopsis:  Development  of  radial  arteries  and  outlying  sub- 
centers.  Absence  of  crosstozvn  lines  encouraged 
abuse  of  transfers.  Topography  forced  erratic  ex- 
pansion. East  side  development  most  needed.  Short 
haul  to  be  encouraged.  District  co-operation  essen- 
tial. Competition  of  steam  lines  dependent  upon 
frequency  of  service. 

The  City  of  Providence  is  primarily  a  radial  city  in  the  de- 
velopment of  thoroughfares  and  settlement,  as  distinguished 
from  a  city  of  rectangular  streets,  such  as  Philadelphia.  This 
results  in  an  important  advantage :  it  secures  the  shortest  run- 
ning time  between  residence  districts  and  business  center.  But, 
unfortunately,  it  also  tends  to  contract  instead  of  expand  this 
business  center,  which  becomes  more  congested  as  time  goes 
on,  because  of  the  tendency  of  all  business  to  locate  at  the  hub. 
This,  however,  would  not  be  a  serious  matter  if  suitable  cross 
streets  were  available  to  permit  of  inner  and  outer  distributing 
loops.  Unfortunately,  such  streets  arc  either  unavailable  or 
exceedingly  cramped  in  the  City  of  Providence. 

Such  a  radial  development  necessarily  produces  sub-centers 
in  the  outlying  districts,  such  as  Olneyville,  Watchemoket, 
etc.  A  nucleus  for  one  of  these  centers  is  apparently  already 
developing  in  Tllmwood,  and  others  will  probably  develop  in 
the  future.     (IVackage  ma]).     Plate  1.) 

Cross-Tozvn  Traffic.     A  radial  system  of  thoroughfares  pro- 

38 


Report  on  Traction  Improvement. 


vided  with  no  cross  streets  must,  therefore,  only  aggravate 
down-town  congestion,  because  of  the  impossibiHty  of  diverting 
traffic  to  the  circumference  instead  of  its  traversing  the  business 
center  as  it  does  in  Providence.  At  the  present  time  there  is 
a  large  traffic  between  Olneyville  and  East  Providence,  or  con- 
tiguous towns.  Here  is  a  logical  start  for  outside  routing,— 
via  Point  street  bridge. 

In  the  absence  of  this  provision  the  abuse  of  the  transfer 
privilege  has  arisen.  In  order  to  meet  the  demand  of  citizens 
to  reach  contiguous  suburban  territory  as  easily  as  possible, 
the  transfer  privilege  has  been  made  more  liberal,  making  it 
possible,  for  example,  for  Eddy  street  passengers  to  double 
back  on  Broad  street.  This  itself  is  permissible,  but  it  intro- 
duces a  much  more  serious  matter,  viz.,  round-trip  riding  to 
the  business  center  for  one  fare.  It  is,  therefore,  apparent 
that  if  the  transfer  privilege  be  restricted  so  as  to  prevent  such 
abuse,  an  equivalent  must  be  provided  in  the  shape  of  cross- 
town  lines,  selecting  those  for  immediate  construction  for 
which  a  demand  actually  exists,  and  adding  others  later. 

Topography.  The  topography  of  Providence  District,  in 
common  with  other  cities,  has  largely  influenced  its  growth ; 
and  those  who  object  to  the  apparent  favoritism  in  the  develop- 
ment of  certain  suburban  areas  by  improved  traction  facilities 
to  the  exclusion  of  others,  will  do  well  to  study  the  topography 
of  the  district  before  assuming  that  undue  discrimination  has 
been  practiced.  Providence  must  expand.  Shut  in  as  it  is  at 
the  west,  its  natural  expansion  is  towards  the  south  and  east, 
especially  southward  along  the  long  glacial  plane  reaching  to 
Greenwich  Bay,  which  offers  almost  unlimited  opportunity  for 
the  most  desirable  suburban   residence.     Likewise,  the  shore 


39 


Traxsportation  About  Providence. 


line  of  East  Providence  should  develop  rapidly  if  provided  with 
both  electric  express  and  local  service. 

But  the  most  serious  impediment  to  developing  the  City 
proper  uniformly,  is  the  Prospect  Hill  barrier  which  has  main- 
tained a  strictly  residential  section  not  only  upon  the  Hill,  but 
in  the  district  beyond.  Some  citizens  advocate  this  isolation  as 
a  means  of  preventing  business  encroachments,  but  it  is  believed 
that  the  maintenance  of  a  desirable  residential  territory  on  the 
East  side,  so  close  at  hand  to  the  business  center,  does  not 
necessitate  the  continuance  of  inadequate  car  service  with  which 
this  district  may  only  be  furnished  until  some  means  is  found 
of  overcoming  the  physical  obstruction  of  College  Hill. 

The  so-called  l^ast  Side  is  commonly  considered  as  the  district 
between  North  ]\Iain  street  and  the  Seekonk  River.  This  dis- 
trict lies  within  a  i^-^  miles  radius  of  the  City  Hall.  But  this 
is  not  the  entire  East  side,  for  this  division  of  the  City  should 
include  all  the  contiguous  portions  of  East  Providence  as  far 
as  Pawtucket. 

It  should  be  realized  that,  in  the  East  Providence  district 
today,  from  fifty  to  sixty  thousand  people  reside,  who  will  be 
directly  afifected  by  any  improvement  plans.  This  is  a  greater 
population  than  the  entire  City  of  Providence  in  1865.  As 
emphasized  elsewhere,  imaginary  boundary  lines  cannot  define 
or  control  the  broad  movements  in  suburban  growth. 

East  Providence,  by  virtue  of  its  location,  is  as  much  a  part 
of  the  East  side  development  problem  as  that  section  served  by 
Blackstone  Boulevard.  The  existence  of  country  clubs  along 
the  east  shore  of  the  Seekonk  River,  and  the  fact  that  the 
cross-city  travel  between  Olneyville  and  Rumford  and  Phillips- 


40 


Report  ox  Traction  Lmprovement. 


dale  is  the  heaviest  of  any  of  the  through  routes,  evidences  this 
inseparable  community  of  interest. 

The  work  of  the  East  Side  Approach  Commission  is,  there- 
fore-, of  the  highest  order  of  importance,  and  it  is  to  be  highly 
commended  in  its  efforts  to  establish  the  most  direct  thorough- 
fare possible  between  the  business  center  and  the  Seekonk  dis- 
trict. Suburban  development,  invariably,  follows  quickly  in 
the  wake  of  improved  transportation  ;  and  if  a  short  haul  suburb 
can  be  made  available  within  the  three-mile  zone,  where  four, 
five,  and  six  miles  in  other  directions  are  now  necessary  to 
reach  the  same  character  of  residential  acreage,  such  improve- 
ments are  desirable,  both  by  reason  of  the  time  saved  to  the 
people  and  the  earnings  of  the  corporation. 

Long  Haul.  It  must  never  be  lost  sight  of,  that  the  decrease 
in  profits  on  long  haul'  traffic  invariably  means  a  reduction  in 
service  elsewhere  in  the  City.  Along  with  the  tendency  towards 
expansion  it  occurs  that  the  five-cent  fare  zone  is  being  pushed 
further  and  further  outward,  necessitating  correspondingly 
longer  haul.  If  the  Corporation  is  giving  adequate  service  wnth 
a  reasonable  return  on  investment,  the  lesser  profit  on  this  long 
haul  business  must  be  balanced  by  increased  profit  on  the  short 
haul  business,  due  to  gradual  solidification  of  the  central  dis- 
tricts. When  a  city  has  developed  almost  exclusively  in  its 
distant  suburbs,  the  city  proper  must  suffer  if  a  financial  bal- 
ance is  to  be  maintained  in  its  transportation. 

It  is,  therefore,  incumbent  upon  the  City  to  develop  its  near- 
est suburbs  first,  gradually  expanding  as  the  densities  reach  a 
comfortable  maximum.  Consequently,  some  form  of  an  East 
side  approach  cannot  be  consistently  opposed  upon  any  grounds 
other  than  personal  preferment  at  the  expense  of  the  greater 
City. 

41 


Transportation  About  Providence. 


District  Co-operation.  Any  conception  of  urban  population, 
as  limited  to  any  precise  municipal  boundaries,  is  distinctly 
short-sighted.  The  real  boundaries  of  the  city  must  be  where 
the  people  cease  to  reside.  Therefore,  any  consideration  of 
such  an  important  problem  as  transportation  which  afTects  the 
whole  district,  not  simply  the  city  proper,  must  be  characterized 
by  sufficient  breadth  of  view  to  avoid  any  possibility  of  enter- 
taining petty  differences  and  jealousies  between  sections  lying 
within  and  without  the  present  city  borders,  respectively.  For 
the  same  reason  a  comprehensive  policy  of  development  for  the 
district  requires  close  and  friendly  co-operation  between  the 
municipal  authorities  of  Providence  and  contiguous  centers. 
Whether  there  may  be  existing  differences  along  other  lines, 
it  is  absolutely  essential  that  transportation  should  not  be  handi- 
capped by  such  differences  as  have  no  bearing  upon  the  impor- 
tant development  policy.  Other  large  cities,  notably  Boston 
and  London,  have  recognized  the  essential  nature  of  this  policy 
by  establishing  a  metropolitan  district  control  in  which  all  con- 
tiguous boroughs  and  towns  participate  with  the  proper 
representatives. 

Steam  Railroad  Competition.  The  New  York,  New  Haven 
&  Hartford  Railroad  Company  operates  from  five  to  ten  local 
trains  per  day  along  the  steam  lines,  southward,  and  through 
other  territory  served  by  the  surface  system.  But  the  infre- 
quency  of  trains  reduces  the  matter  of  competition  to  one  of 
minor  importance ;  in  fact,  it  seems  to  be  the  policy  of  the 
management  to  shift  to  the  traction  system  all  local  business. 
This  may  be  inferred  from  the  recent  reduction  of  the  Olney- 
ville  steam  service,  either  directlv  nr  through  an  increase 
in  fare*;. 


42 


Report  on  Traction  Improvement. 


The  fast  electric  service  operated  directly  from  Union  Sta- 
tion through  the  East  side  tunnel  now  totals  58  trains  per  day 
to  the  east  shore  towns  of  Riverside,  Warren,  Bristol,  Barring- 
ton,  etc.,  and  thence  to  Fall  River.  This  service  has  no  con- 
nection with  the  Rhode  Island  Company's  lines,  but  afifects  its 
business  considerably  by  serving  the  same  territory.  In  spite 
of  this  competition,  however,  the  Riverside  surface  line  is  one 
of  the  best  earning  lines  in  the  system.  Likewise  the  Pawtucket 
surface  lines,  although  there  are  twenty-four  local  trains  per 
day  stopping  there.  This  seems  to  indicate  the  importance  of 
surface  trolley  lines  even  with  high  speed  competition.  The 
secret  of  success  is  frequency  of  service. 


43 


GROWTH  OF  THE  PROVIDENCE  DISTRICT. 


Sytiopsis:  Traction  district  tributary  to  Providence.  Union  R. 
R.  Division  or  5  cent  fare  cone.  Estimate  for  1925, 
half  million  persons  involved.  Lowest  density  on 
East  side.  Distribution  generally  uniform.  Realty 
values  doubled  in  twenty-five  years.  Record  Bank 
Clearing  in  1910.  Company  behind  on  equipment 
orders.  Earnings  per  capita,  Union  Division,  good. 
Riding  doubled  in  twelve  years.  Estimate  80%  in- 
crease in  earnings  by  1925. 

Any  consideration  of  traction  service  would  be  short-sighted 
if  only  provision  for  the  present  were  made.  Municipal 
growth,  if  at  all  thriving,  occurs  so  rapidly  that  it  is  difficult 
to  keep  pace  with  it,  and  in  all  parts  of  the  country  munici- 
palities and  public  utilities  are  oppressed  by  the  demand  for 
extensions  and  improvements  which  cannot  adequately  be  met, 
however  urgent  their  need. 

In  the  short  time  available  for  the  study  of  the  growth  of 
the  Providence  traction  district,  it  has  been  impossible  to  at- 
tempt a  very  accurate  analysis  of  growth,  but  sufficient  data 
is  contained  in  the  report  to  form  a  basis  for  at  least  general 
conclusions.  The  points  to  be  developed  are  as  follows :  First, 
the  probable  growth  of  the  traction  district  tributary  to  Provi- 
dence ;  second,  the  earnings  resulting  from  such  growth ;  third, 


45 


Report  ox  Tkactiox  Improvement. 


the  service  necessary   in   track   mileage,   car  mileage  and  car 
equipment,  to  meet  this  growth. 

The  problem  further  divides  itself  into  two  distinct  parts; 
the  growth  of  the  entire  traction  district  and  the  growth  of  the 
minor  civil  divisions  of  the  district.  The  former  concerns  the 
question  of  service  as  a  whole ;  the  latter  is  largely  a  question 
of  re-routing. 

In  Providence  District,  the  subject  is  complicated  by  the 
extensive  interurban  travel  to  such  other  centers  as  Woon- 
socket  and  Fall  River.  It  is,  therefore,  difficult  to  define  just 
what  territory  is  strictly  tributary.  Applying  a  well  known 
standard,  if  we  include  those  towns  having  minor  commercial 
interests  here,  such  as  shopping,  this  district  includes  the  ter- 
ritory lying  practically  within  a  ten-mile  radius  from  City  Hall, 
including  such  adjacent  communities  as  Pawtucket  and  Crans- 
ton. The  population  of  the  five-cent  fare  zone  unfortunately 
can  only  be  estimated,  owing  to  the  extended  boundaries  of 
the  surrounding  towns.  This  population,  however,  about  coin- 
cides with  the  operations  of  the  Union  Railroad  Division.  The 
dilution  resulting  from  occasional  extension  beyond  the  five- 
cent  fare  zone  is  not  serious. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  traction  district  tributary  to  the 
entire  Rhode  Island  Company's  system  covers  from  Green- 
wich Bay  to  Woonsocket,  including  the  latter  city  and  the 
intervening  communities. 

Population.  The  growth  curve  of  the  population  of  Provi- 
dence City  possesses  irregularities  due  to  territorial  increase, 
which  makes  it  desirable  to  study  the  present  City  from  1875. 
Since  that  time  the  growth  has  lieen  consistent,  and  actually 
maintained  the  same  percentage  growth  in  the  last  two  five- 
vcar  census   periods.     The   growth   curve   is   shown   on  Fig.  2. 

4^' 


16,75 


80 


85  90         95        19  00       05  10  15 

i-lGL'RE  2— GROWTH  IX  POPULA'ilOX. 
Showing  the  uninterrupted  growth  of  the  Cit\'  of  Providence  for 
the  last  35  years.  The  double  circles  indicate  U.  S.  census.  The 
upward  curvature  shows  that  the  population  of  Providence  is  increas- 
ing faster  than  a  fixed  numl)er  of  people  per  decade.  However,  to 
be  conservative,  the  population  has  been  forecasted  for  the  next  15 
years  on  this  basis  of  a  fixed  increase.  The  population  of  the  trac- 
tion district  similarly  forecasted,  shows  about  the  same  percentage  in- 
crease. In  normal  growth,  the  population  forecasted  for  1925  would 
presumably  be  exceeded  in  all  cases. 

47 


1925 


Report  on  Traction  Improvement. 


and  projected  to  the  year  1925  on  the  basis  of  a  fixed  increase 
in  population  per  year,  as  indicated  by  the  last  three  five-year 
periods.  This  is  considered  a  minimum  estimate,  disregarding, 
of  course,  the  interference  of  some  future  catastrophe  or  extra- 
ordinary business  depression.  Thus,  the  City  of  Providence 
will  probably  contain  over  300,000  persons  fifteen  years  hence, 
barring  territorial  extensions.  The  City's  population,  as  a 
whole,  increased  27.5%  in  the  last  decade,  as  compared  with 
Boston,  19.6%  ;  Buffalo,  20% ;  Cleveland,  46.9% ;  Pittsburgh, 
18.2%;  San  Francisco,  21.6%;  Milwaukee,  31%;  Detroit,  63%, 
and  Los  Angeles,  211%.  The  population  has  doubled  itself 
about  every  20  to  25  years,  the  last  period  being  26  years. 
Many  cities  double  in  less  time  than  this.  Considering  the 
time  required  to  inaugurate,  legislate  and  execute  a  broad 
movement  for  the  City  betterment,  it  is  evidently  imperative 
to  anticipate  as  far  as  possible  this  rapid  growth. 

The  traction  district  tributary  to  Providence  City,  projected 
into  the  future,  shows  an  increased  population  from  418,000 

in  19 10,  to  about  555,000  persons  fifteen  years  hence,  or  33% 
increase. 

The  five-cent  fare  zone'^  may  be  expected  to  increase  about 
the  same  as  the  City,  or  increase  from  286,000  at  present 
to  386,000  persons  in  1925. 

Finally,  the  entire  district  tributary  to  the  Rhode  Island 
Company  in  the  State  approximates  465,000  persons  at  the 
present  time,  and  will  presumably  reach  620,000  fifteen  years 
hence.  A  tributary  population  of  one-half  million  is,  there- 
fore, the  minimum  consideration  in  any  study  aflfecting  Provi- 
dence.   Whether  the  communities  at  present  outlying  continue 


^  See  fare  zone  map — Plate  II. 

48 


Growth  of  the  Providenxe  District. 


to  operate  separately  is  quite  unimportant  in  the  matter  of 
traction  service,  as  the  interests  of  Providence  and  these  com- 
munities are  one  and  inseparable. 

Density.  The  approximate  distribution  of  this  population 
over  the  Providence  District  is  shown  graphically  on  Plate  III, 
by  means  of  density  shading.  Thus,  the  ninth  ward  of  Provi- 
dence contains  the  maximum  density  of  the  entire  District, 
66.4  people  per  acre,  while  the  second  ward,  known  as  the 
upper  East  side,  contains  only  lo.i  persons  per  acre.  For  the 
entire  City  the  average  density  is  19.25  persons  per  acre.  Paw- 
tucket  also  has  two  dense  wards.  The  outlying  towns  cover 
such  large  areas  of  unsettled  territories  that  only  a  general 
comparison  is  possible.  In  Cranston,  Warwick,  Johnston  and 
East  Providence  there  is,  of  course,  ample  opportunity  for 
unlimited  development.  East  Providence  averages  only  i]% 
persons  per  acre. 

The  area  of  Providence  is  18.28  square  miles,  but  although 
a  radial  city,  owing  to  geographic  barriers  suburban  develop- 
ment has  been  forced  along  extremely  irregular  lines,  so  that 
the  real  City  extends  in  ett'ect  in  various  directions  to  the  four 
or  five-mile  circle  from  the  City  Hall,  covering  an  area  of  prac- 
tically 50  square  miles.  Yet  in  the  very  heart  of  the  District 
within  a  radius  of  two  or  three  miles  a  choice  undeveloped 
section  of  the  East  side  is  located,  undeveloped  because  of  the 
absence  of  a  suitable  channel  for  such  development. 

Distribution.  Plate  III  also  shows  the  rather  uniform 
growth  of  these  respective  districts  since  1900.  It  is  thus  seen 
that  all  of  the  districts  have  experienced  some  growth.  South 
Providence  and  the  northern  sections,  however,  showing  the 
maximum  increa^^e.  exceeding  the  East  .^ide  by  a  considerable 
margin. 


A<) 


Report  on  Traction  Improvement. 


For  a  more  accurate  idea  of  the  actual  distribution  of  the 
population  within  the  City  limits  it  has  been  possible  to  show 
this  in  Plate  I\',  by  enumerating  districts,  of  which  there  are 
129.  As  each  district  was  platted  to  purposely  cover  about 
2,000  people  the  distribution  may  very  accurately  be  shown  by 
means  of  the  dot  map,  the  scale  of  which  is  here  100  persons- 
to  the  dot.  From  this  exhibit  it  is  apparent  that  below  an 
approximately  east-west  diameter  Providence  is  very  uniformly 
settled,  and  that  the  only  remaining  thin  areas  are  the  north- 
western section  traversed  by  Smith  street  and  the  u])per  East 
Side.  From  a  traction  standpoint  it  is  fortunate  indeed  that 
this  uniform  settlement  of  the  City  exists,  a  fact  which  con- 
tributes greatly  to  the  possibility  of  high  density  of  traffic  and 
short  haul. 

Realty.  The  realty  valuation  of  Providence  aggregated 
$90,000,000  in  1910;  this  valuation  has  doubled  in  twenty-five 
years,  that  is,  since  1885,  and,  moreover,  it  is  growing  faster 
than  the  population.  In  many  cities  it  grows  still  faster,  in 
some  cases  trebling  while  the  population  doubles.  Therefore, 
the  funds  available  for  public  improvements  from  an  even 
assessment  mileage  will  increase  in  the  future  faster  than 
the  jKjpulation,  which  should  offer  encouragement  to  ultra- 
conservative  citizens. 

Bank  Clearings.  Perhaps  the  best  index  of  material  growth 
in  a  large  cilv  is  the  luink  Clearings,  which  also  reflect  ac- 
curately the  general  condition  of  prosperity  upon  which  a 
street  railway  is  dependent  for  its  income.  Starting  with  the 
year  1898.  when  commercial  prosperity  was  resumed  after  a 
prolonged  dei)ression.  the  clearings  increased  by  irregular  steps 
from  $226,000,000  to  $415,000.000 —T56'vf.     During  the  same 

50 


Growth  of  the  Pro\  idexck  District. 


period,  traction  earnings  increased  from  $1,550,000  to  $3,315-- 
000,  or  112.5'^t.  This  is  shown  graphically  in  Fig.  3.  Thus 
for  1898  the  earnings  represented  0.58%  of  the  clearings;  in 
1910,  0.8*70.  This  means  that  the  Railway  Company  earned 
$1.00  for  every  $172.00  clearings  in  1898  and  $125.00  in  1910, 
indicating  that  transportation  in  Providence  is  becoming  more 
and  more  indispensible  to  the  patrons  and  valuable  to  the  com- 
pany. In  other  cities,  Pittsburgh  for  example,  it  has  been 
found  that  earnings  grew  at  about  the  same  rate  as  clearings. 
Here  for  the  past  seven  years  surface  railways  have  earned 
$1.00  for  every  $250.00  clearings,  not  including  steam  suburban 
service.  The  high  level  in  Providence,  and  especially  the 
growth,  should  therefore  be  regarded  as  very  encouraging. 

In  1909  business  had  practically  recovered  from  the  depres- 
sion of  1907  and  the  record  for  the  past  year  is  the  highest  in 
the  City's  history. 


51 


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52 


RiiPOKT  OX  Traction"  Imi'roxk.mkxt. 


THE  RHODE  ISLAND  COMPANY- 

'•'The  record  of  i^rowth  in  track  niileag^e.  revenue,  passenger 
traffic  and  car  equipment  of  the  Rhode  Island  Company's 
system  within  the  State  for  the  past  ten  years  is  shown  on 
Fig.  I.  During  the  year  1907  the  system  was  expanded  by 
the  acquisition  of  other  properties.  Neglecting  this  rise,  the 
increase  in  trackage  was  24.87  miles  in  six  years,  or  4.14  miles 
per  year  over  the  entire  system. 

The  passenger  traffic  suftered  one  severe  slump  in  1908-09. 
For  the  entire  period  of  seven  years,  however,  the  total  increase 
amounted  to  over  31,000,000  passengers — 6r.4'^'c— or  8.75% 
per  year  average.  The  record  of  equipment  shows  an  abrupt 
halt  since  1907,  after  a  steady  increase  for  three  or  four  years 
previous.  However,  considering  the  above  mentioned  slump 
in  traffic  in  1907-08.  this  retrenchment  seems  justifiable  only 
for  the  year  1908.  It  is  apparent  that  the  Company  did 
not  accurately  anticipate  the  demands  of  the  increase  in 
traffic  that  took  place  thereafter ;  in  other  words,  it  is  now 
about  one  and  one-half  years  behind  in  car  equipment.  Be- 
tween 1903  and  1907  the  passenger  traffic  increased  43'^''.  the 
car  equipment  21*70;  by  1910  the  increase  in  traffic  had  dis- 
tanced the  equipment  by  62%  or  nearly  three  times. 

Union  and  City  Dizisions.  tThe  gross  earnings  and  mileage 
for  the  Union  Division  and  for  the  City  of  Providence,  respect- 
ively, are  shown  on  Fig.  4.  The  total  gross  earnings  increased 
steadily  from  1893  up  to  the  slump  of  1907-08.  In  the  track 
mileage  a  sharp  increase  occurred  in  1900,  but  the  growth  has 
been  uniform  since — 31.31  miles  in  ten  years,  or  3. 13  miles 
per  year.    This  record  is  shown  in  Table  3. 


*  Railroad  Commissioners  Report? — Table  2. 
t  Union  Division  outlines — Plate  V. 

53 


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54 


REn^Ri-  ox  Tractii^x  Improvement, 


Taking  this  last  decade,  the  record  shows  an  increase  of 
69.8%  in  gross  earnings  (66%  for  the  City  of  Providence), 
and  26%  in  trackage  (20%  for  the  City)  or  2.53  miles  per 
year,  (1.48  miles  for  the  City).  In  1910  the  proportion  of  the 
City  mileage  and  earnings  to  the  total  mileage  and  earnings 
of  the  Union  Division  was  72.4%.  This  proportion  has  been 
increasing  somewhat  during  the  ten  years,  but  has  not  in- 
creased materially  since  1905- 

The  single  track  mileage  in  Providence  for  the  past  ten  years 
has  increased  about  as  fast  as  the  population  of  the  district 
served,  which  indicates  normal  growth.  The  past  three  years, 
however,  shows  a  disposition  to  retrench  in  the  matter  of  ex- 
tensions, which,  if  continued,  will  sooner  or  later  bring  about 
unsatisfactory  development  of  the  City  proper.  Thus,  in  19 10 
there  were  3.95  miles  of  track  per  10,000  persons;  in  1900, 
4.0  miles ;  in  1903.  4.5  miles  approximately. 

Earnings  Per  Capita.  It  is  impossible  to  determine  without 
excessive  labor  and  expense  the  earnings  per  capita  of  resident 
population  for  the  so-called  Providence  Traction  District.  Did 
the  five-cent  fare  zone  coincide  with  the  City  limits,  it  would 
be  an  easy  matter  to  determine  wuth  great  accuracy  the  earn- 
ings per  capita  thereon.  But  for  the  present  purpose  an  ap- 
proximation of  the  district  served  by  the  Union  Division  will 
suffice. 

Mrst,  considering  the  Rhode  Island  System,  as  a  w^hole,  for 
that  portion  of  the  State  which  it  occupies,  it  is  found  that  the 
earnings  per  capita  approximate  $9.70  for  the  year  19 10.  and 
the  ratio  has  increased  rapidly  since  the  Company  began  opera- 
tion in  1903,  when  they  were  only  $6.75  per  capita.     (Table  5.) 


55 


The  ^HTtn.v  Qom  i'A?nr 


I9O0 


1905 


1910 


1915 


19  30 


19  25 


[•IGL'RE  5— FUTURE  EARXIXGS. 
Representinj^  gra!>hically  a  forecast  of  earnings  of  the  Rhode 
Island  Company  for  the  State  in  l'.t25.  This  is  based  upon  the 
law  previousy  developed,  see  I'igure  6, — that  gross  earnings  in- 
crease about  as  fast  as  the  square  of  the  population,  i.  e.,  earnings 
per  capita  increase  directly  as  the  population.  For  this  purpose, 
the  forecast  in  population  is  made  by  the  straight  line  method  as 
in  I-'igure  2,  which  is  considered  very  conservative. 

56 


Report  on  Traction  Improvement. 


From  a  comprehensive  study  of  other  cities  the  fact  has  been 
developed  that  the  earnings  per  capita  increase  at  about  the 
same  rate  as  the  population  increases.  In  Fig.  5.  earnings 
per  capita  are  projected  into  the  future  in  agreement  with  this 
law,  indicating  nearly  $12.90  per  capita  in  the  year  1925  with 
a  population  of  620,000  people.  The  gross  earnings  of  the 
system  will,  therefore,  presumably  increase  from  $4,500,000 
during  1910,  to  nearly  $8,000,000  fifteen  years  hence,  barring 
financial  depressions  of  uriusual  severity.  That  this  estimate 
is  minimum  is  shown  by  the  drooping  of  the  extended  curve  of 
earnings. 

Now.  for  the  City  of  Providence  only,  the  earnings  per 
capita  have  steadily  increased,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
fluctuations,  from  about  $6.00  in  1895  to  $8.55  in  1910.  The 
data  for  census'  years  shows  an  exactly  uniform  increase. 
Therefore,  starting  with  the  population  and  earnings  of  the 
City  proper  in  1910,  and  projecting  into  the  future,  we  may 
expect  in  1925,  $11.36  per  capita,  or  about  $3,500,000  per  year. 

For  the  Union  Division  district  the  earnings  appear  to  be 
relatively  higher.  Starting  with  $11.57  P^^  capita  in  1910,  the 
present  five-cent  fare  zone  will  earn  in  1925  over  $6,000,000 
per  year.  Hence,  an  increase  in  business  of  over  80%  must 
be  provided  for. 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  the  earnings  per  capita  of  the  City 
alone  is  considerably  lower  than  those  of  the  Union  Railroad 
Division  or  five-cent  fare  zone. 

The  extent  of  riding  on  trolley  lines  about  Providence  may 
be  judged  from  the  following  annual  registrations  for  the  year 
1910  on  a  basis  of  fi.ve-cent  or  revenue  fares : 


57 


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fi(;l'ri-:  c— axalvsis  oi-  law  of  i.xcrease 

EAkXlXGS. 

'I'o  predict  future  earnings  accurately  requires  an  analysis  of 
the  law  of  growth  of  earnings  and  population.  This  diagram 
shnws  graphically  that,  based  upon  the  last  thirty  years,  earnings 
in  Providence  are  increasing  as  the  1.0  power  of  the  population,  i. 
e.,  nearly  as  the  square — a  result  which  has  already  been  developed 
from  a  study  of  the  fifteen  larger  cities  of  the  United  States.  This 
law  means  that  when  the  population  doubles,  earnings  will  quad- 
ruple, 'ihe  dotted  line  indicates  this  law  of  the  stjuare.  A  line 
parallel  thereto  must  conform  to  the  same  law,  which  is  practically 
the  case  for  Providence.  This  is  to  be  regarded  as  the  most  en- 
couraging fact  in  the  whole  traction  situation  in  Providence. 


5'^ 


Report  ox  Traction  Improvement. 


Rhode  Island  System  for  State,  82,790,000 

Union  Railroad  Division,  66,630,000 

City  of  Providence,  38,450,000 

The  City  riding  has  more  than  doubled  in  twelve  years,  and 
taking  into  consideration  the  gradual  increase  in  transfer  traffic 
the  total  riding  will  increase  faster  than  the  earnings,  i.  e., 
faster  than  the  square  of  the  population.  This  relation  is  of 
the  greatest  importance  in  giving  some  idea  of  the  future 
growth  to  be  anticipated  and  provided  for.  Fig.  6  represents 
a  graphical  analysis  of  the  law  for  the  City  of  Providence 
since  1890.  For  this  period,  annual  street  railway  earnings 
have  grown  at  a  rate  equivalent  to  the  1.9  power  of  the  growth 
in  population,  i.  e.,  nearly  as  the  square  (2.0  power)  upon  the 
present  basis  of  apportionment  of  the  City  earnings.  This 
law  of  the  square,  in  a  general  way,  has  been  found  to  apply 
to  other  cities,  even  to  a  city  of  the  magnitude  of  Greater  New 
York. 

Car  Mileage.  Records  of  car  mileage  are  not  available  for 
many  years  back,  so  that  the  growth  of  this  important  measure 
of  service  cannot  be  obtained.  Assuming,  however,  a  reason- 
able operating  ratio  and  return  on  investment,  it  is  a  simple 
matter  to  calculate  the  car  mileage  that  should  be  operated 
each  year.  This  operating  ratio  should  normally  remain  con- 
stant, providing  depreciation  is  properly  met  year  by  year. 
The  increase  in  service  is,  therefore,  dictated  by  the  proportion- 
ate increase  in  earnings.  For  the  past  four  years  the  record 
(Fig.  7)  shows  no  increase  in  car  mileage.  However,  during 
three  years.  1907-08-09,  there  was  no  increase  in  total  passen- 
gers or  earnings,  due  to  the  business  depression.  But,  in  1910, 
both  passengers  and  earnings  made  higher  records.  During 
the  last  year,  the  car  mileage  has  not  increased  proportionately. 

59 


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60 


PASSENGER  TRAFFIC  IN  THE  TERMINAL  DISTRICT. 


Sxnoi'^sis:  Determination  of  outbound  travel  during  typical 
rush  hour.  Nine  outlet  throats.  Average  loading 
133.570  of  seats  furnished.  Loading  increases  zvith 
shorter  interval  of  observation.  Heaviest  20-minutc 
period,  164%  at  one  throat.  Maximum  loading  about 
6  P.  M.  Spacing  of  cars  often  irregular.  Seats 
furnished  practically  equal  to  schedule.  Service 
doubled  during  rush  hour.  Company's  standard  of 
maximum  car  loading,  reasonable.  February  and 
March  travel  loieest  in  year;  December  13.6%  higher 
than  March;  July  38.370  higher. 

Any  study  of  transportation  requirements  necessarily  in- 
volves an  accurate  determinaticDu  of  passenger  travel.  Maxi- 
mum crowding  with  closed  cars  usually  occurs  during  incle- 
ment winter  weather  and  passenger  counts  at  the  various  out- 
let throats  from  the  loading  district,  therefore,  will  provide 
an  accurate  measure  of  service  requirements. 

Providence,  as  a  radial  city,  has  only  nine  such  outlet 
throats  through  which  all  outbound  car  lines  must  pass.  As 
soon  as  practicable  after  the  beginning  of  the  present  investi- 
gation, passenger  counts  were  conducted  at  these  points,  which 
are  as  follows,  listed  in  the  order  of  their  importance: 


61 


Report  ox  Traction  Improvement. 


Broad  &  Winter  streets,  2,240  seats  scheduled 

North  Main  &  Mill  streets,  1,962  " 

Westminster  &  Cranston  streets,  1,804  " 

Broadway  &  Federal  streets,  1,162  " 

Wickenden  &  Traverse  streets,  1,002  " 

College  Hill,  858  " 

Eddy  &  Manchester  streets,  782  " 

Francis  &  Promenade  streets,  724 

Friendship  &  Chestnut  streets,  568  " 


Total,  loading  district,  11,102     " 

The  evening  rush  hour,  5:30  to  6:30,  was  investigated  for 
typical  maximum  rush  hour  travel,  inasmuch  as  morning  rush 
hour  conditions  usually  spread  over  a  longer  period  of  time, 
and  hence  show  less  concentrated  loading. 

It  must  not  be  assumed  that  these  throat  counts  indicate  the 
actual  flow  of  traffic  during  every  day  in  the  year.  On  the 
other  hand,  they  must  only  be  regarded  as  a  typical  study. 
Rush  hour  travel  varies  more  or  less  from  day  to  day,  from 
week  to  week  and  month  to  month  due  to  weather  conditions, 
shopping  excursions,  parades,  and  all  manner  of  irregular  in- 
fluences. For  a  precise  statement,  continuous  counts  must  be 
made,  but  these  are  obviously  burdensome  and  expensive  as 
compared  to  the  results  achieved.  Moreover,  the  changes  in 
routing  contemplated  will  entirely  modify  the  distribution  of 
traffic  flow  through  the  various  throats. 

Counts.  The  counts  made  at  the  four  most  important  points 
first  listed  were  duplicated  on  different  days  as  a  check,  and 
were  found  to  be  in  close  agreement. 


62 


Passenger  Traffic  in  the  Terminal  District. 


These  counts,  as  shown  on  Plate  \T,  indicate  the  amount  of 
car.t  seat  and  passenger  flow  passing  a  ii'iven  observation  point 
of  maximum  loading,  and  thus  indicate  not  only  the  relative 
loading,  but  also  the  time  of  transit  and  regularity  of  spacing; 
i.  e.,  headway  on  each  individual  route  passing  each  point. 

Table  8  gives  the  findings  in  detail.  Thus,  the  average  load- 
ing was  found  to  be  isa-S'^^  of  the  seats  furnished ;  i.  e..  14.730 
passengers  and  11,036  seats,  while  .the  individual  throats  aver- 
aged, in  the  order  of  importance  above  listed,  133'^'',  118%, 
145%,  141%,  142%,  143%,  132^^0,  147%  and  102%  respectively. 
Broadway.  Westminster.  W'ickenden  and  Francis  street  cars 
appear  to  be  the  heaviest  loaded. 

As  a  private  check  on  the  accuracy  of  these  counts,  the 
Company  stationed  inspectors  at  the  same  points  and  inde- 
pendently obtained  very  nearly  the  same  results  for  the  traffic 
as  a  whole.  Thus,  the  average  traffic  of  the  nine  throats  was 
found  to  be  133.5^^  of  the  seating  capacity  by  the  City's  count 
and  128%  by  the  railway's.  The  individual  throats,  however, 
showed  considerably  greater  variation. 

A  supplementary  count  at  the  Olneyville  Square  throat  on 
May  2nd  showed  an  average  loading  for  the  rush  hour  of  only 
about  80%  of  the  seats  furnished,  based  on  standard  winter 
equipment.  With  part  summer  equipment  in  operation  at  that 
time,  the  average  loading  was  only  66.6%. 

In  an  analysis  of  service  standards  an  important  point  is  the 
interval  of  observation.  Thus,  while  133. S'^'^  loading  for  the 
rush  hour  may  not  appear  excessive,  when  the  interval  is 
narrowed  down  to  thirty  minutes  or  less  much  greater  maxi- 
mum   loading   appears.      This    is    shown   by   Table   ()   accom- 


■Conipare  with  composite  diagram  of  all  lines^Plate  XXT. 

63 


Rkpokt  on  Traction  Improvement. 


panying  the  shaded  curves,  Fig  8,  which  are  plotted  by  ten- 
minute,  but  shaded  for  twenty-minute  intervals.  With  a  ten- 
minute  headway  an  interval  of  ten  minutes  will,  of  course, 
give  individual  car  loading,  which  is  easily  liable  to  be  loo^o  or 
greater.  Consequently,  the  greater  variation  appears  on  the 
lighter  lines,  such  as  at  Francis  street. 

The  choice  of  the  interval  should  be  with  the  idea  of  de- 
termining a  fair  average  loading,  which  will  suppress  unavoid- 
able single  car  loads  and  yet  take  cognizance  of  extreme 
irregularity  in  operation.  The  twenty-minute  period  has, 
therefore,  been  taken  for  Providence  conditions.  The  count 
shows  a  variation  for  the  entire  loading  district  during 
twenty-minute  periods  of  from  123.6%  to  141%,  with  a  maxi- 
mum variation  at  single  throats  from  89' ';  to  164 '/f.  During 
twenty-minute  periods  the  heaviest  loading  occurs  at  College 
Hill.  W'ickenden  and  P^rancis  streets,  with  Hroadway  and 
Westminster  street  in  nearly  the  same  class.  For  this  same 
interval,  outbound  traffic  reached  a  maximum  rate  of  21,900 
])assengers  i)er  hour,  and  seats  furnished,  15.500  i)er  liour 
which  is  considerably  greater  than  the  average  for  the  hour, 
due  to  the  numerous  short-trippers. 

The  period  of  heaviest  loading  seems  to  occur  after  six 
o'clock  in  the  majority  of  cases,  and  holds  well  on  to  6:30 
P.  M. ;  in  other  words,  the  outbound  traffic  originating  at 
about  six  o'clock  produces  the  heavy  loading. 

The  frequency  of  car  travel  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that 
at  Westminster  and  Cranston  streets  and  Broad  and  Winter 
streets,  there  is  about  one  car  a  minute  passing  on  the  aver- 
age, and  the  irregularity  of  headway  is  magnified  by  this 
very  frequency.  Thus,  at  P)road  and  Winter  streets  an  in- 
terval  of  Oyy    niinuto    wa>   noted    without   any   cars   jmssing, 

^•4 


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trage  standing  1 
nite  intervals,  bol 
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fffrnfi  frl 

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.// /,//^..i|- 

ilGtKC   s_sr\\DARD   OI     brRVICE    AT    OUTLET    THROMS 
Indicating  the  a%erage  stinding  loads  obstrved  during  ru'jh  hi  ur  inttrvals      The  shaded  diagram  represents  ■i\eragc  snnding   for   10  ni 
dotted  lines  for  20  mmiitc  internals   both  expres<;ed  as  per  tent    loid  in  e\<.ess  of  seating  capacity.     During  ihc  longer  intcr\dl    the  fluctuations 
marked      lu  most  cases  the  maximum  loidmg  is  reached  about  6  15  P    M      ^t  Friendship  and  Chestnut    practicall)  scitcd  load 


itinued  throughout  Ih<.  rush  hour. 


C) 


Passenger  Traffic  in  the  Terminal  Disirict. 


and  one  of  8^^  minutes  at  College  Hill.  On  the  other  hand, 
cars  quite  frequently  come  along  in  bunches  of  three  or  four. 
This  irregularity  is  the  cause  of  much  complaint,  and  is 
clearly   shown    on   the   accompanying   plotted    records. 

It  mav  be  argued  that  these  irregularities  are  unavoidable 
in  the  down-town  district,  but  the  individual  routes  shown 
beneath  the  throat  count  in  Plate  \T  indicate  that  all  of  the 
irregularity  is  not  due  to  obstruction  in  the  down-town  dis- 
trict. This  is  also  indicated  by  the  fact  that  the  inbound 
cars  do  not  run  at  intervals,  even  though  not  having  reached 
the  down-town  district. 

A  most  important  comparison  is  the  actual  and  scheduled 
seats  passing;  in  other  words,  whether  the  Company  operates 
all  of  the  equipment  that  is  scheduled.  The  counts  show  that 
this  is  the  case  for  the  system  as  a  whole,  but  that  individual 
throats  vary  considerably.  Thus.  Broadway  and  Francis 
street  were  15%  to  20^^  short  of  schedule,  while  Wickenden 
street  was  7%,  Eddy  street  lo'^  and  Friendship  street  25'?'^ 
above  schedule.  This  irregtilarity  may  be  due  to  either  a 
shortage  of  cars,  or  to  the  Company's  practice  in  measuring 
the  car  service  by  the  fluctuating  demands  from  day  to  day, 
whether  departing  from  the  schedule  or  not.  Tt  is  believed 
that  such  a  procedure  gives  rise  to  warrantable  dissatisfaction 
on  the  part  of  the  patrons  who  cannot  be  expected  to  keep 
abreast  of  frequent  changes  in  schedule,  especially  v/hen  un- 
announced. The  regular  cars  should  at  least  be  operated 
strictly  on  schedule.  The  fact  that  the  schedule  as  a  total 
is  maintained  indicates  that  some  lines  are  favored  at  the 
e.xpense  of  others. 


^^5 


Report  on  Traction  Improvement. 


An  essential  measure  of  service  is  the  proportion  of  rush 
hour  to  normal  or  non-rush  hour  service. f  The  Company's 
schedule  provides  for  ii%  more  service  during  mid-day  and 
102^0  more  during  rush  hours  than  at  normal  hours.  It  has 
already  been  noted  that  as  a  total,  the  entire  service  rendered 
was  found  to  be  equal  to  the  schedule.  This,  then,  is  a  con- 
dition for  which  the  Company  is  to  be  commended.  The 
standard  of  double  service  at  rush  hours  is  admittedly  good, 
and  if  adhered  to,  indicates  the  Company's  desire  to  justly 
mcft  all  reasonable  demands  of  rush-hour  patrons.  Of  course, 
it  must  be  assumed  that  the  normal  standard  of  service  is 
adequate.  This  is  a  question  that  can  only  be  determined 
by  all-day  records  of  individual  routes  for  the  purpose  of 
determining  the  characteristics  of  each  route.  It  must  not 
be  assumed  that  a  car  is  overloaded  because  showing  high 
registration  for  the  trip,  for  in  many  routes  double  and 
triple   loading   is   encountered,   especially   on    through    routes. 

Satisfactory  service  for  non-rush  hours  should  be  such 
that  during  a  given  period,  for  example,  twenty  minutes,  there 
should  pass  by  a  given  point  of  maximum  loading  as  many 
seats  as  there  are  passengers  to  be  carried  during  that  period. 

All  lines  do  not  require  double  service  for  rush  hours.  Thus, 
for  long  haul  suburban  lines,  such  as  Oaklawn,  the  schedule 
is  the  same  for  rush  hours  as  for  normal  hours ;  while  Branch 
avenue  and  Academy — Taunton  avenue  is  doubled — 200%  of 
normal  service:  Pawtuxet.  243^^'  :  {"'riendship — Admiral.  2^^' <  ; 
and  Auburn  trippers  over  300*7^. 

The  Company's  method  of  assigning  reasonable  capacity  of 
equipment  during  rush   hours  is  to  station   inspectors  at  the 


tSec  winter  operating  schedule — lalilc  2(t. 

6r, 


Passenger  Traffic  ix  the  Terminal  District. 

various  throats  above  indicated.  If  on  three  successive  days 
cars  appear  to  be  loaded  beyond  a  certain  Hmit,  adcHtioual 
trippers  are  ordered  into  service,  and  vice  versa.  The  max- 
imum standard  in  force  is  as  follows : 

I 

42  seat  new  Bradle\-  cars — 70  passengers — loading   167%  of 

44  cross-seat  intertrurban — .50  "         —       "         114%       seating 

36       '■         ■•  suburban— 60  "         —       "         167%      capacity. 

."^4  longitudinal   seat   cars— 70  "         —       "         200% 

26         ^  ••  "         ••    —42  •'         —       ••         162% 

This  standard  is  entirely  reasonable,  provided,  of  course, 
that  it  is  rigidly  enforced,  with  the  exception  of  thirty-four 
seat-class  cars,  and  its  effectiveness  is  entirely  dependent  upon 
whether   sufficient  reserve   equipmentj   is   availalile. 

Finally,  it  should  be  noted  that  the  monthly  records  indicate 
that  traffic  in  February  and  March  is  the  lowest  for  the 
^■ear.  As  discussed  under  "Service  Requirements."  the 
average  for  the  year  is  \^.(i''  higher  than  March  traffic. 
December  13.6%  higher  than  March  (  i''>.740  passengers  rush 
hour)  and  July  38.3%  higher  than  March  (20,380  passen- 
gers rush  hour).  This  summer  maximum,  however,  is  not 
strictly  coincident  w'ith  rush  hour  travel,  but  December  is 
entirely  so.  The  result  of  these  counts  must,  therefore,  be 
considered  only  in  the  light  of  representing  the  best  conditions 
of  winter  service.  As  observed,  they  are  not  unfavorable, 
but  with  the  additional  loading  of  December  they  could  be 
materially  improved  upon,  largely  through  the  medium  of 
more  rigid  adherence  to  schedule  which  would  operate  to 
smooth  out  the   irregularities  of   individual   car   loading. 


'See  schedule  of  rdlHim'  .'-tntk  Table  10. 

67 


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68 


SERVICE  REQUIREMENTS  OF  PROVIDENCE  CISTRICT. 


Synopsis:  Scrzicc  capable  of  exact  calculation.  Proper  car 
mileage  for  1910.  17.2'^^  increase  over  March. 
Actual  mileage  less  than  1907.  Density  of  service 
per  mile  of  track,  lote:  eaniinys,  feic.  Population, 
per  mile  of  route,  13,700  maximum,  3,000  average. 
Service  requirements  in  1925  near  doubled.  Increase 
in  Track,  36  miles  per  year.  Rush  hour  loading 
sta)idard,  133 '"f.  Proper  zvinter  service,  I3.4'7«'  in- 
crease. 375  cars  required  on  zvinter  schedule — 
1910-11.  Present  equipment  sufficient  zvith  faster 
schedule.     Increase  required  20  cars  per  year. 

The  computation  of  service  is  essentially  an  arithmetical 
problem.  It  answers  the  question — How  many  car  miles 
should  be  operated  annually  for  a  given  income,  and  how 
should   this   mileage   be   distributed? 

At  the  outset  a  decision  must  be  made  as  to  what  propor- 
tion of  the  income  is  reasonably  available  for  purchasing 
service.  An  analysis  of  the  Rhode  Island  Company's  finan- 
cial statement  of  the  last  eight  fiscal  years  from  State  and 
Railroad  Commissioners'  reports  is  shown  in  Fig.  \).  Re- 
ferring to  this  it  will  be  noted  that  the  operating  expenses 
of  the  entire  system,  including  maintenance,  plus  taxes  paid 
to  the  City  and  State,  aggregate  from  60%  to  70%  of  the 
gross   income.       It  will   also   be  noted  that  this  percentage 

69 


Rki'ORt  on  Traction  Improvement. 


varied  considerably  in  the  eight  years  recorded,  increasing 
sharply  between  1896  and  1897.  subsequently  decreasing  in 
about  the  same  rate  as  the  four  years  previous.  The  average 
for  the  eight  years  is  slightly  over  65%.  (See  Income  Ac- 
count. Table  2.) 

Operating  Ratio.  For  the  purpose  of  discussion,  we  will 
assume  70*^0  as  the  proper  operating  ratio,  including  taxes 
and  also  annual  payments  into  a  depreciation  reserve  fund, 
which  does  not  seem  to  have  been  provided  for  directly  in 
the  present  Company's  finances,  especially,  prior  to  the  change 
operating  expenses,  strictly  speaking,  should  be  apportioned 
in  control  in  1906-07.  For  a  special  consideration  of  "Provi- 
dence City"  alone,  or  for  the  "five-cent  fare  zone''  alone, 
to  the  respective  areas;  but  as  a  precise  apportionment  for 
the  City  is  a  ])ractical  impossiilMlity.  it  is  believed  to  be 
sufficiently  accurate  to  take  the  same  operating  ratio  for 
the  "Union  Division"  as  reported  for  the  entire  Rhode  Is- 
land system.  As  a  matter  of  fact  the  Union  Division  ratio 
is  slightly  higher.  If  the  balance  of  the  system  traversed  only 
thinlv  populated  rural  territory,  this  projwrtion  might  not 
be  sufficiently  accurate;  but  as  the  system  includes  the  local 
lines  of  both  Pawtucket  and  Woonsocket  with  comparatively 
little  long  haul  country  mileage,  it  is  believed  that  the  com- 
parison will  hold.  This  is  borne  out  by  the  fact  that  the 
earnings  i)cr  capita  for  the  system  ai)pear  to  be  somewhat 
higher  than  for  Providence  City,  as  those  earnings  are  now 
apportioned. 

Now,  for  the  year  1910  the  earnings  in  the  Union  Division 
amounted  to  $3,315,149.  Assume  that  70%  of  these  earn- 
ings,  or  $2,320,^)04   were   available    for   the   ])urchase   of   ser- 


Serxick  Reouiki;.mi-;xts  of  Pkoxiuexci-:  Disikict. 

vice  in  tlie  form  of  car  miles.  A  reasonable  value  for  car 
mile  unit  (earnings  per  car  mile)  is  open  for  discussion,  and 
varies  in  the  different  large  cities  from  about  24c.  to  28c.. 
including  those  having  a  goodly  proportion  of  large  capacity 
rolling  stock.  On  the  other  hand,  a  short  haul  city,  such  as 
Providence,  necessarily  shows  a  tendency  towards  higher  earn- 
ings per  car  mile  than  a  long  haul  city. 

Car  Mileage.  Assuming,  then,  as  high  earnings  as  30c. 
per  car  mile  for  the  Union  Division  of  Providence  justify- 
ing a  total  operating  expense  of  21c.  i)er  car  mile,  the  Com- 
pany should  have  operated  approximately  11.050,000  car 
miles  per  year ;  or  at  27^0.  per  car  mile  earnings,  approximate- 
ly 12.050,000  car  miles  should  be  operated.  This  may  be 
regarded  as  a  reasonable  range  in  the  amount  of  service  that 
the  Providence  District  may  expect  from  its  earnings,  guar- 
anteeing a  reasonable  return  on  capital  invested,  and  making 
allowance  for  a  reasonable  depreciation  for  taking  care  of 
the  property  in  the  future  out  of  earnings. 

Operating  records  are  not  available  for  but  a  few  years  past, 
so  that  it  is  impossible  to  determine  accurately  the  history 
of  the  service  in  Providence.  In  19 10  the  Company  operated 
9,427,787  car  miles. 

Since  1907  the  car  mileage  not  only  has  not  increased, 
but  has  actually  decreased  (up  to  June  30,  1910).  Unques- 
tionably, the  records  for  the  closing  fiscal  year  of  191 1  will 
show  an  improvement  due  to  the  addition  of  the  fifty  42-seat 
cars.  The  fact  remains,  however,  that  whereas  during  the 
three  years  above  mentioned  the  total  passenger  traffic  in- 
creased 6.75%,  the  car  mileage  decreased  1.1%.  There  are 
only  two  possible  explanations:   First,   that   the   size  of   cars 


71 


S-  u  if;  rt  "J 


Si:r\ick  Requiri:mi:.\ts  of  Pkovide.vce  District. 

has  increased  during  the  three  years  enough  to  make  up  the 
difference,  or  second,  that  the  service  has  been  proportionately 
reduced,  as  indicated  by  Fig.  lo.  As  no  new  erjuipment  wa^ 
put  in  operation  during  this  period  on  the  Rhode  Island  system, 
there  still  may  have  been  some  shifting  of  equipment  from 
other  divisions  to  Providence;  but  as  the  large  cars  have 
only  lately  been  adopted  as  a  standard,  it  is  hardly  possible 
that  such  reassignment  could  have  materially  affected  the 
accuracy  of  the  above  conclusions. 

It  was,  therefore,  incumbent  upon  the  Company  to  in- 
crease its  car  mileage  at  least  to  the  minimum  above  estab- 
lished, representing  an  increase  of  1,622,300  car  miles  or 
17.2*^^  for  the  calendar  year  1910.  It  is  only  just,  however,  to 
point  out  distinctly  that  this  does  not  mean  a  proportionate 
increa.se  in  equipment,  necessarily;  for  with  faster  schedule 
speed  secured  by  improved  thoroughfares  contemplated  in 
this  report  a  large  increase  in  car  mileage  will  be  possible 
with  the  present  equipment.  And  it  is  justly  due  the  Com- 
pany that  such  increased  speed  be  permitted  and  encouraged 
by  the  City  authorities  in  the  future. 

For  the  year  191 1,  assuming  no  improvements  in  creating 
faster  schedules  is  made,  it  appears  that  an  increase  of  about 
10""^  in  car  mileage  would  be  warranted,  judging  by  the 
steady  growth  in  traffic  since  1898.  This  is  equivalent  to  a 
total  of  12.150.000  car  miles  per  year.  2.722.000  car  miles  or 
28.9^^   more  than  actually  operated  during  the  year  of   1910. 

Doisity.  The  present  density  of  service  in  car  miles  per 
mile  of  single  track  (per  year)  averages  for  the  entire  five- 
cent  fare  zone  61.800  per  mile.  This  is  considerably  lov.er 
tb.an   other   urlian   traction   systems  not   unduly   e.xpanded   in 


/.S 


Rkport  on  Tk.\(  tjon  Improvement. 


trackage.  This  is  no  doubt  due  somewhat  to  the  low  aver- 
age speed.  Moreover,  the  density  has  decreased  slightly 
since  1907.  This  density  ratio  is  inversely  proportional  to  the 
average  headway  between  cars ;  i.  e..  as  the  headway  decreases 
the  car  mileage  per  mile  of  track  increa.-es  wliich  means 
better  service. 

A  similar  ratio,  earnings  per  mile  of  track,  reflects  the 
combined  density  and  ridinj^^  habit  of  the  population  tributary 
to  the  traction  lines.  In  1910  the  earnings  of  the  Union 
Division  averaged  $21,740  per  mile,  slightly  greater  than  in 
1907,  but  about  the  same  as  for  the  past  fifteen  years.  For 
the  entire  Rhode  Island  system  the  earnings  averaged  $14,200 
per  mile  in  1910.  Both  ratios  compare  favorably  with  other 
railway  systems  of  similar  character.      (See  Table  6.) 

The  density  of  tributary  population  averages  2,500  per 
mile  of  single  track  for  the  City  of  Providence  or  nearly 
3,000  per  mile  of  route.  But  on  one  line,  along  Atwells 
and  Academy  avenues,  it  reaches  a  maximum  of  13.700  per 
mile  of  route,  a  fact  which  indicates  the  necessity  of  double 
tracking  a  line  of  such  heavy  traffic. 

Future  Increase.  If  the  earnings  of  the  Union  Division  or 
five-cent  zone  are  projected  into  the  future  at  about  the  same 
rate  as  Providence  traction  district.  Fig.  5.  Page  56.  it  is 
found  that  in  1925  the  earnings  will  approximate  $6,000,000. 
and  with  this  same  operating  ratio  of  70%,  $4,200,000  would 
be  available  for  purchasing  service.  In  the  intervening  period, 
with  the  growth  of  Providence,  we  should  expect  that  the 
liberality  in  .service  would  reduce  the  earnings  per  car  mile 
to  at  least  27>jC..  which  would  prescribe  21.S00.000  car 
miles   per   year,   on    the   basis   of   the   i)resent    five-cent    zone 


"4 


Skkvice  Reouikkments  of  Pkoxiuence  District. 

covered  by  the  Union  Railroad  Division,  an  increase  of  ap- 
proximately y/'^c  over  that  estimated   for   1910. 

Undoubtedly  within  this  period  the  City  limits  will  expand 
and  with  it  the  limits  of  the  five-cent  fare  zone.  However, 
expansion  will  presumably  take  place  after  and  not  before 
the  advent  of  thickly  settled  population,  so  that  about  the 
same  normal  density  of  traffic  now  encountered  in  the  present 
five-cent  fare  zone  may  be  reasonably  expected  in  the  expanded 
future  fare  zone.  In  other  words,  the  total  car  mileage 
operated  per  year  should  increase  as  fast  or  faster  than  the 
annual  gross  earnings. 

Trackage.  Trackage  should  increase  about  as  fast  as  the 
population  until  the  district  is  fully  developed.  At  such 
time  the  traffic  density  is  bound  to  increase  owing  to  the 
congestion.  But  in  a  system  of  unlimited  boundaries  such 
as  Providence  the  dilution  of  outlying  lines  will  always  be 
present  as  the  City  expands,  even  though  the  density  in  the 
City  proper  increases  also. 

Starting  on  the  present  basis,  $20,000  earnings  per  mile  of 
single  track  within  the  Union  Division,  the  normal  increase 
in  population  and  earnings  estimated  for  the  year  1925  about 
35%,  would  require  about  206  miles  of  single  track  within 
the  district.  If  the  district  limits  did  not  expand,  the  earn- 
ings and  population  per  mile  of  track  would  steadily  increase, 
but  an  advanced  policy  of  development  makes  it  necessary 
to  build  additional  lines  of  track  or  to  double-track  existing 
lines,  so  that  even  though  the  fare  zone  limits  do  not  expand 
materially  the  trackage  within  these  limits  will  have  kept 
1)ace  with  the  growth.  Using,  then,  the  above  basis,  the 
Union   Division   should   expand   not   less   than   3.6   miles    per 


75 


RliPORT    OX    TkACTION'    LMI'ROVliMKXT. 


year,  approximately;  since  the  year  lOOi,  it  has  increased 
2.53  miles  per  year.  The  program  for  the  present  season 
contemplates  4.417  miles  (inclusive  of  turnouts)  in  addition 
to  6.99  miles  of  track  renewals,  rerailing  and  repairs. 

Seating  Capacity.  Seating  capacity  should  increase  about 
as  fast  as  the  passenger  traffic,  unless  the  schedule  speed 
may  be  increased  by  some  means  so  as  to  operate  more  car 
miles  with  the  same  equipment. 

In  a  city  like  Providence,  where  the  maximum  evening 
peak  is  sharply  defined,  capacity  should  be  estimated  as  that 
necessary  to  handle  this  peak.  This  will  represent  the  max- 
imum equipment  required,  irrespective  of  a  certain  number 
of  cars  always  held  in  reserve.  Passenger  covmts  at  the  outlet 
throats  during  March  show  about  14,730  passengers  and 
11,036  seats  per  hour  outboimd,  and  about  half  this  for  the 
heaviest  twenty-minute  period,  equivalent  to  a  rate  of  21,900 
passengers  per  hour.  If  we  were  to  limit  the  standing  load 
as  high  as  loo'^c  of  the  seating  capacity  of  the  car  during  the 
heaviest  twenty-minute  j^eriod,  then  seats  would  be  required 
at  the  rate  of  10,950  per  hour.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  seats 
were  furnished  at  the  maximum  rate  of  15.500  per  hour 
during  this  period  and  the  loading  was  141  ^f^  of  the  seats. 
Even  for  ten-minute  periods,  the  maximum  loading  was  but 
I47.6>c  for  the  system  or  164%  for  any  one  throat.  The 
above  rate  for  the  entire  rush  hour  corresponds  to  133.5'^ 
Uiading  (33.5^^^  standing). 

This  uniform  loading  through  the  various  periods  of  the 
rush  hour,  therefore,  indicates  an  efficient  guaging  of  rush 
hour  travel.  W'e  may  then  accept  133*^  average  hourly  load- 
ing as  a  not  imreasonable  basis  of  service,  as  it  can  be  fur- 
nished  without  hardship   in   the   City  of   Providence. 

76 


Service  Requirements  of  Providence  District. 

The  seating  capacity  adequate  for  normal  hours  is  then  a 
matter  of  judjjment.  In  cities  where  the  rush  traffic  is  not  so 
sudden  as  in  Providence,  the  ratio  between  norn.ial  and  rush 
hour  service  need  not  be  as  great,  but  in  Providence  the 
ratio  of  I  to  2  is  practically  a  necessity.  This  standard  would 
then  require  7,575  seats  per  hour  throughout  the  day,  at  the 
lowest  estimate. 

Passenger  counts  during  March  showed  11.036  seats  per 
hour  operated  and  11,102  seats  scheduled.  This  indicates 
that  the  Company  is  operating  practically  all  of  its  scheduled 
equipment. 

Were  the  March  requirements  representative  of  the  max- 
inuim  for  the  entire  year  the  rate  of  service  furnished  would 
not  be  questionable,  but  the  record  of  monthly  traffic,  re- 
duced to  an  average  month  of  30.4  days,  shows  that  Feb- 
ruary and  March  are  the  minimum  of  the  year  in  total  pas- 
sengers, car  miles  and  earnings.  In  1910  the  average  monthly 
traffic  was  I5.6'7c  above  March,  December  being  13.55^0  and 
July  38.25%  higher  than  March.  Hence,  the  minimum  re- 
quirements for  the  maximum  winter  rush  hour  of  1910  may 
be  stated  as  about  12,600  seats  per  hour  for  16,740  pas- 
sengers, and  the  summer  requirements  15,250  seats  per  hour. 
This  latter  estimate,  however,  may  be  somewhat  in  excess, 
owing  to  the  fact  that  in  summer  much  of  the  maximum 
loading  occurs  during  the  day,  while  in  winter  it  occurs 
chiefly  during  the  rush  hour.  But  tlie  December  estimate 
calls  for  an  increase  of  13.4%  on  the  present  winter  rush 
hour  schedule. 

Cars.  Standard  cars  are  not  used  througliout  the  system, 
and   this  will  have  to  be  the  case  until  all   the   small   single 


77 


Rkport  on  TkACTiux  Impruvement. 


truck  cars  ha\e  been  retired;  consequently,  a  capacity  factor 
must  be  applied  to  these  results,  which  compensates  for  the 
lesser  capacity  of  the  small  cars.  Now.  the  average  winter 
car  seats  34.79,  and  the  summer  car  59.9  passengers,  or  an 
average  for  the  year  of  43.1  passengers,  practically  ecjual  to 
the  standard  Bradley  box  car.  Consecjuently.  the  maximum 
winter  requirement  was  362  cars  per  hour  of  the  present  type, 
assuming  as  above,  an  average   rush  hour  loading  of   133%. 

These  estimates  refer,  of  course,  to  rate  of  car  movement 
outbound  from  the  down-town  terminal  district.  They  have 
no  reference  to  actual  number  of  cars  in  service  on  the  lines. 
This  latter  is  entirely  determined  by  the  length  of  haul  and 
running  time.  The  present  winter  schedule  calls  for  331 
cars  averaging  34.79  seats.  On  the  basis  of  the  present  rush 
hour  schedule,  therefore,  an  increase  in  equipment  of  13.4*7^ 
or  a  total  of  375  cars  of  the  present  type  should  have  been 
in  operation  on  the  Union  Division  during  the  rush  hours  of 
December,   19 10. 

The  schedule  of  equipment.  Table  10.  shows  that  360  cars 
were  available  prior  to  the  delivery  of  the  new  Bradley 
cars  or  410  total  at  the  present  time,  llence,  it  is  clear  that 
had  the  new  equipment  been  in  commission  in  December, 
service  re(|uirements  would  have  been  fully  met,  leaving  i:^.=t'^<^ 
of  the  equipment  for  reserve  or  under  repair.  However, 
some  of  the  e(|uipmcnt  will  need  to  be  retired  at  an  early  date. 

Finally,  it  is  only  just  to  emj-)hasi/.e  that  these  re(|uire- 
ments  will  be  greatly  modified  by  the  proposed  increase  in 
schedule  speed,  which  will  be  found  desirable  and  quite  pos- 
sible as  a  result  of  the  ro-routing  and  thoroughfare  improve- 
ments contemplated  by  this  report.     .An  increase  in  schedule 


Service  Requirements  of  Pkoviuexce  District. 

speed  will  be  accompanied  by  about  the  same  relative  de- 
crease in  car  hours,  which  means  that  for  the  same  service 
in  car  mileage,  less  cars  will  be  required ;  or,  conversely, 
the  same  number  of  cars  will  be  able  to  make  more  mfleagc 
and  handle  more  passengers.  Hence,  it  is  clear  that  the 
increased  winter  requirements  as  estimated  above,  might  be 
fulfilled  with  the  present  equipment  operating  under  a  propor- 
tionatelv  faster  schedule,  which  would  entail  no  increase  i:: 
expense  for  platform  labor  over  the  present. 

In  the  gradual  change  of  rolling  stock  from  small  single 
truck  to  large  double  truck  cars,  a  railway  should  not  attempt 
to  replace  small  by  large  cars  in  less  number,  strictly  adjust- 
ing seats  to  passenger  demand.  On  the  other  hand,  the  in- 
creased capacity  possessed  by  the  large  rolling  stock  should 
be  used  as  an  encouragement  of  the  riding  habit  which  will 
usually  respond  thereto  within  a  reasonable  time.  This  is 
to  be  regarded  as  good  practice  in  anticipating  the  future,  and 
it  is  quite  in  contrast  to  the  short-sighted  policy  of  withdraw- 
ing from  the  streets  a  number  of  cars  in  proportion  to  the 
excess  seating  capacity  of  the  new  over  the  old  equipment. 
Frequency  of  car  service  (that  is.  headway)  should  not  ordi- 
narily be  reduced  after  once  it  is  established. 

For  the  future,  car  equipment  in  service  should  increase 
with  passenger  traffic.  It  has  been  estimated  that  a  traffic 
increase  of  80%  nmst  be  provided  for  within  the  next  15  years. 
Just  what  is  the  proper  rate  of  increase  in  equipment  is 
difficult  to  estimate  on  account  of  the  increased  mileage  per 
car  to  be  expected  from  improved  routing.  However,  the 
rate  is  equivalent  to  only  twenty  cars  per  year,  while  for  the 
actual  increase  from   ifjoi  to  1907  the  record  shows  an  aver- 


Report  on  Tkaction  Lmpkovement. 


age  <jf  50  cars  per  year  for  the  Rhode  Island  system,  85% 
uf  which,  or  43  cars,  should  have  been  assigned  to  the  Union 
Division.  The  above  estimate  of  twenty  cars  per  year  repre- 
sents, of  course,  the  maximum  new  equipment  required  to 
meet  normal  growth  only,  and  not  for  retiring  old  equipment, 
so  tliat  it  must  be  assumed  that  the  entire  rolling  stock  is 
maintained  up  to  a  reasonable  standard  of  repair. 


80 


GENERAL  IMPROVEMENTS  IN  SERVICE, 


Synopsis:  Schedule  of  speed  lozu  for  radial  thoroughfares. 
Delay  mostlx  in  loading  district.  Suburban  derclop- 
ment  requires  2>o-minute  service.  Street  cars  should 
be  restricted  no  more  than  undirected  vehicles.  15*^0 
saving  in  time  estimated  from  re-routing.  Average 
spacing  of  i^'hite  posts,  243  feet,  should  be  doubled. 
Abolish  counter  operation.  Automatic  signals  and 
electric  szi'itcfies  necessary.  City  must  regulate 
vehicles.  Multiple  car  stops.  Emergency  routing. 
Avoid  transfer  abuse  by  cross-toi^n  service  and 
distinctive  colors.  Turnouts  and  double  tracks. 
Suburban  express  necessary.  Broadzcay  express. 
East  side-West  side  electrification.  Electric  freight 
and  terminal  development. 

The  most  important  phases  of  this  subject  are  schedule 
speed,  express  service,  headway  and  re(Hstribution  of  service. 
All  other  matters  largely  hinge  upon  these.  The  last  named 
subjects  are  discussed  later  under  "Re-routinj;-."' 

Schedule  Speed.  The  average  schedule  speed  that  is  in 
force  for  the  City  proper  and  its  immediate  suburbs  is  7.96 
miles  per  hour  from  terminus  to  terminus.  This  figure  is 
a  true  average  obtained  by  taking  into  account  the  distance 
and  running  time  of  each  individual  line  and  is  not  an  arith- 


Report  on  Traction  Improvement. 


metical  average  of  all  lines.  However,  counting  from  a  point 
outside  the  terminal  district  where  reasonably  free  running 
begins  the  average  speed  is  8.71   miles  per  hour. 

Uoth  these  speeds  are  lower  than  they  should  be.  While 
the  present  delay  in  the  terminal  district  is  largely  unavoid- 
able under  existing  conditions,  better  time  should  be  made 
outside  considering  that  a  large  number  of  these  lines  pass 
through  sparsely  settled  suburban  territory  where  free  run- 
ning is  possible.  Such  is  the  case  with  the  Riverside.  Paw- 
tucket,  Oaklawn  and  Branch  avenue  lines.  This  does  not 
mean  that  the  entire  suburban  runs  are  taken  into  considera- 
tion in  determining  the  above  average  speed  as  the  schedules 
analyzed  extend  only  to  the  actual  settled  limits  of  the  City; 
i.  e.,  to  the  limits  of  the  Union  Division. 

Some  of  these  lines  are  extremely  low  in  schedule  speed ; 
thus,  Prairie  avenue,  6.49 ;  Ocean  street,  6.38 ;  Arlington,  6.63 ; 
Broadway,  6.27;  Rumford,  6.75;  Dexter  street,  6.82;  Friend- 
ship street  and  Dyer  avenue.  '").54.  each.  On  the  t)lher  hand, 
other  lines  make  extremely  good  time :  Promenade  street. 
9.20;  Smithfield  avenue,  9.98;  Pawtucket,  9.00;  and  the 
suburban  lines, — Fall  River,  9.24 ;  Buttonwoods  via  liroad 
street,  10.62;  Button  woods  via  Elm  wood  avenue,  9.14.  Out- 
side of  the  terminal  loading  district  this  ButtonwocKls  express 
via  Broad  street  averages   12.18  miles  per  hour. 

In  Table  1 1  are  listed  a  few  typical  sections  of  different 
routes,  wherein  the  running  speed  may  be  classed  as  slow, 
medium  and  rapid.  This  shows  that  the  speed  within  the 
tenninal  loading  district  of  about  y/2  miles  is  not  more 
than  ordinary  walking  speed,  and  that  the  speed  on  the  im- 
j)ortant    thoroughfares,    such    as     Broad.     Westminster    and 


82 


Gexkkal   Imi'Kovkmkxts  IX   Service. 


Cranston  streets,  of  about  Gj/j  miles  per  hour  is  also  exceed- 
ingly slow.  The  rapid  and  medium  sections  show  the  char- 
acter of  running  that  is  possible  where  traffic  interference  and 
excessive  stops  are  not  encountered  (from  9  to  12  miles  per 
hourj,  and  the  contrast  between  these  speeds  and  the  average 
speeds  for  the  entire  route  bring  out  clearly  the  character  of 
the  congestion  encountered  down-town ;  thus,  on  Broadway 
the  running  speed  clear  of  obstructions  is  9.40  miles  per 
hour,  whereas  for  the  entire  route  it  is  6.27. 

These  latter  figures  are  shown  graphically  on  the  accom- 
panying time  zone  map,  Plate  MI.  which  records  by  successive 
contour  zones  the  distance  on  various  routes  that  may  be  tra- 
versed in  five-minute  periods.  In  the  loading  district  the 
time  is  counted,  not  necessarily  from  the  actual  terminal,  but 
from  the  logical  point  of  loading  which  introduces  some  un- 
avoidable irregularities  in  the  area  of  the  first  five-minute 
zone.  It  will  be  noted  that  the  increased  schedule  speed  in 
the  outlying  district  is  reflected  in  the  increasing  width  be- 
tween successive  contour  lines ;  for  example,  Pawtucket-East 
Providence  from  Arlington  corners  to  Pawtuckct.  and 
Cranston   Print  Works  to   Knightsville. 

Considering  the  running  speed  in  Providence,  it  will  be 
apparent  from  this  map  that  it  ought  to  be  possible  to  reach 
any  point  within  the  five-mile  zone  in  less  time  than  thirty 
minutes.  At  present  it  requires  twenty-five  minutes  to  reach 
Pawtucket,  y/2  miles  distant:  Allendale.  4  miles;  Pomham. 
4>4  miles;  Rumford,  3^  miles;  and  thirty  minutes  to  reach 
Manton,  3  miles  distant;  Cranston  Print  Works,  y/y  miles; 
Auburn  and  Edgewood.  4  miles,  each.  Eddy  street,  which  is 
the  most  direct  thoroughfare  to  the  southern  suburbs,  should 

83 


Report  ox  Traction  Improvement. 


easily  deliver  passengers  in  i'awtuxet  within  thirty  minutes. 

In  suburban  development,  the  thirty-minute  time  zone  prac- 
tically marks  the  limit  of  isolation  acceptable  to  the  great 
majority  of  high-class  residents.  They  cannot  afford  to  spend 
more  time  per  day  unless  unusual  geographical  conditions 
intervene,  such  as  the  case  of  the  New  Jersey  Commuters. 
Beyond  this  limit  the  better  class  of  suburbanites  will  transfer 
their  patronage  to  steam  roads  operating  suburban  service, 
and  unless  these  steam  lines  are  routed  in  numerous  direc- 
tions it  necessarily  follows  that  an  irregular  suburban  de- 
velopment will  take  place,  dictated  not  by  the  desirability  of 
the  land  available,  but  by  the  location  of  existing  steam  lines 
serving  primarily  the  through  steam  traffic.  In  other  words, 
for  a  radial  city  such  as  Providence,  to  develop  itself  in  a 
normal  manner  in  gradually  expanding  circles,  local  traction 
lines  must  include  the  settled  districts  within  the  thirty-min- 
ute zone  as  uniformly  as  possible,  and  the  only  way  to  expand 
this  thirty-minute  time  zone  without  resorting  to  steam  com- 
muter service  is  to  establish  limited-stop  electric  express  cars 
which  will  ultimately  dictate  the  necessity  of  separate  thor- 
oughfares in  order  to  save  more  time  than  the  headway  be- 
tween local  cars. 

Ordinance  Requirements.  The  maximum  running  speed 
is  limited  by  City  ordinances  to  six  miles  per  hour  in  the 
loading  district  and  from  nine  to  twelve  elsewhere,  the  ma- 
jority of  the  lines  coming  under  the  nine  mile  class;  thus: 
six  miles  per  hour — Exchange  Place,  Market  Square,  Dor- 
rance  street,  Washington  street,  Mathewson  street.  North 
and  South  Main  streets,  >4  mile  circle.  Ten  miles  per  hour — 
Elmwood  avenue,   south   Uroad   street.    Prairie   avenue.  Eddy 


84 


Gi-:ni-:i<al  Impkunements  ix    Si:r\ici:. 


street,  Alanlon  avenue,  Chalkstone  avenue,  Francis  street, 
/\dmiral  street,  and  Branch  avenue.  Nine  miles  per  hour  all 
other  streets. 

These  restrictions  mean  that  if  cars  were  actually  limited 
to  the  speeds  designated,  even  the  present  slow  running"  sched- 
ule would  not  be  possible.  ^'  In  normal^operation  stops  alone 
consume  from  15  to  30%  of  the  time,'''' acceleration  and  re- 
tardation perhaps  50%  of  the  l)alance;  so  that  the  best  schedule 
speed  possible  would  not  be  over  five  miles  per  hour.  Such^ 
operation  would  be  clearly  suicidal  to  the  business  of  surface 
transportation,  and  a  schedule  satisfactory  to  patrons  would 
absolutely  necessitate  the  infraction  of  these  maximum  speeds 
imposed  by  ordinance.  Automobiles  and  other  vehicles  are 
permitted    fifteen   miles   per   hour. 

Observations  on  various  routes  show  that  the  average  run- 
ing  speed,  exclusive  of  stops,  does  not  exceed  ten  miles  per 
hour,  except  on  certain  suburbans.  This  permits  a  schedule 
speed  of  only  8.71  miles  per  hour  and  in  many  cases  from 
6  to  7  miles.  It  is,  therefore,  urgently  recommended  that 
cars  be  permitted  at  least  the  same  latitude  of  running  speed 
as  vehicles  not  operating  upon  a  fixed  roadbed.  Cars  fitted 
with  air-brakes  and  fenders  can  be  operated  at  least  as  fast 
as  undirected  vehicles  for  the  same  element  of  danger 
involved. 

Saving  in  Time.  To  form  an  adequate  conception  of  the 
saving  in  time  to  patrons,  resulting  from  the  contemplated 
increase  in  schedule  speed,  consider,  for  example,  the  run  to 
Pawtuxet,  the  heaviest  line  of  traffic  in  the  city.  Thirty-five 
minutes  are  at  present  required  for  the  run  of  five  miles. 
The  average  speed  for  the  entire  lines  is  8.57;  average  out- 

85 


Report  on  Traction  Improvement. 


side  of  the  business  district  (south  of  Richmond  street)  is 
9.52,  and  average  running  speed  after  deducting  stops,  10.76. 
About  eight  minutes  are  lost  through  the  congestion  occurring 
on  the  run  to  Richmond  street,  only  .4  of  a  mile  from  the 
terminal.  Assuming,  for  illustration,  an  increase  in  average 
schedule  speed  of  only  one  mile  an  hour  and  a  'saving  of 
five  minutes  within  the  business  district,  this  would  make  it 
possible  to  reach  Pawtuxet  in  about  twenty-seven  minutes,  a 
saving  of  8.7  minutes,  or  25%  of  the  running  time  at  present. 
This  may  seem  excessive,  but  not  so  for  many  of  the  present 
lines.  It  is  believed  that  at  least  15%  can  be  saved  in  running 
time  over  the  entire  system  by  re-routing,  and  which  would _J 
be  realized  by  increasing  the  schedule  speed  one  mile  per 
hour,  viz.,  to  8.96  miles  per  hour. 

JVhitc  Posfs.j  The  average  interval  between  white  stopping 
posts  within  the  settled  limits  of  the  City  and  immediate 
suburbs  is  approximately  250  feet,  or  twenty  stops  per  mile, 
while  the  number  by  actual  counts  varies  from  209  feet  to 
279  feet,  an  average  interval  of  243  feet.  The  standard  block 
is  200  feet  frontage,  or  approximately  250  feet  between  street 
centers.  Thus,  there  exists  a  stop  for  practically  every  street, 
but  as  this  250  feet  block  exists  only  in  the  newer  platted 
sections,  while  many  of  the  older  stretches  have  streets  300 
feet  to  400  feet  apart,  the  number  of  stopping  points  must 
be  considerably  greater  than  the  inmiber  of  street  intersections. 

An  average  interval  of  250  feet  is  entirely  too  short,  and 
it  is  believed  that  it  will  impose  no  hardship  to  establish  an 
interval  at  least  twice  as  great  or  500  feet,  throughout  the 
City,  except  that  within  the  loading  district  the  actual  street    \ 
intersections  should,  of  course,  be  maintained,  but  outside,  the 


tSee  Tabic  12. 

86 


General  Improvements  in    Service. 


number  of  stops  must  be  reduced  if  the  Company  is  to  mater- 
ially increase  its  schedule  speed.  These  revised  stopping 
points  must  be  assigned  with  absolute  impartiality,  as  has 
apparently  not  been  done  in  the  past;  thus,  starting  with  an 
important  intersection  such  as  Cathedral  Square,  these  white 
posts  should  be  laid  out  as  near  500  feet  as  possible  and  still 
register  with  the  cross  streets.  Ocasional  variations  of  this 
rule  could  be  made  to  advantage  to  accommodate  important 
public  institutions  or  manufactories,  but  no  private  considera- 
tions should  have  weight.  This  reassignment  should  be  car- 
ried out  by  actual  inspections  on  the  ground,  and  with  full 
co-operation  of  City  and  Company  representatives. 

A  large  proportion  of  the  newer  residence  plats  approximate 
600  feet  in  depth,  with  500  feet  spacing.  It  is,  therefore, 
approximately  true  that  alternate  stops  will  serve  a  greater 
area  for  the  same  running  time  than  stops  at  every  street. 
These  relative  walking  distances  are  indicated.  Fig.  11.  In 
other  cities  where  an  attempt  has  been  made  to  solve  the 
difficulty,  stops  are  often  limited  to  four  or  five  long  blocks 
when  running  between  business  and  residence  districts. 

Schedule  Delays.  A  frequent  source  of  complaint  in  con- 
nection with  single  track  lines  is  the  car  intereference  at 
street  intersections.  There  are  two  principal  sources  of  in- 
terference :  First,  single  track  two-way  operation  at  branch- 
ofFs  from  trunk  lines,  and  second,  single  track  line  operating 
along  a  trunk  line  in  counter-directions  to  reach  a  parallel 
street.  A  particularly  flagrant  case  of  the  latter  is  at  Con- 
stitution Hill,  where  Paw-tucket  cars  are  regularly  held  up 
for  perhaps  two  minutes  while  Camp  street  cars  descend  the 
hill.     At  Weybosset  and   Richmond   streets  outbound    Rich- 

87 


iSfANtid  FJRbwrWAIN  ,LlhL  IN  Rt  OJikjnT 
I  £  3  4 

J"lf;L-Kl':  ]]— FREQUENCY  OF  STOPS. 
Showing  the  effect  of  frequency  of  stops  upon  tlie  areas  served 
by  a  main  line  track.  The  shading  defines  areas  of  equal  walk  to 
the  nearest  stopping  point.  The  curves  indicate  for  how  much  of 
the  territory  served.  1.  2,  3,  and  4  blocks  distant,  extra  walk  is  re- 
riuired,  i.  e.,  which  gives  some  idea  of  the  relative  number  of  people 
discommoded  by  the  longer  stops.  Thus  within  2V2  blocks  from  the 
main  line  "pl\  "^1-"/'  nf  tlio  nrea  require  extra  walk  with  500  ft. 
stops. 


General  Improvements   ix   Ser^ce. 


mond  street  cars  are  often  stranded  across  the  main  line  to 
permit  inbound  cars  to  clear  Richmond  block.  This  may 
result  in  holding  up  ten  or  more  main  line  cars.  Another  case 
of  reverse  operation  is  on  W'ickenden  street,  where  Brook 
street  cars  run  counter-travel.  This  intolerable  condition  fully 
emphasizes  the  great  necessity  of  rc-routins:. 

These  waits,  when  the  outgoing  cars  are  off  schedule,  often 
amount  to   three  or   four  minutes   and  are  extremely  exas- 
perating to  short  haul  passengers,  such  as  East  Siders,  who 
could   walk  to   their   homes   in   less  time.     Even   assuming  a 
reasonable   construction   of   schedules   and   location   of   turn- 
outs, congestion  in  the  terminal  district  occasions  delays  of 
exceedingly   variable   duration   with   no   opportunity   to  make 
up  running  time  between   terminal   district   and  the   first  in- 
tersection of  turn-out.  Single  track  lines  should,  therefore,  be\ 
routed  independently  if  possible,  of  other  lines  of  single  track,y/ 
so  as  to  avoid  oflf-schedule  delays,  or  better  still,  routed  on 
separate    streets    to    avoid    turn-outs.      More    liberal    use    of  ^ 
turn-outs  would  make  it  easier  to  get  back  on  schedule  than 
at  present.  ^.^ 

These  causes,  however,  are  not  necessarily  responsible  for 
the  general  lack  of  promptness  in  the  handling  of  cars,  that 
may  be  found  unfortunately  on  many  railway  systems.  The 
assignment  of  a  slow  schedule  to  cover  obstructions  is  ob- 
jectionable enough  to  patrons  without  adding  minor  delays  all 
along  the  line.  The  operating  organization  from  despatchers 
down,  should  learn  the  value  of  seconds  to  be  clipped  here 
and  there  from  the  schedule.  More  rigid  inspection  and 
discipline  will  accomplish  great  results.  Relief  of  thorough- 
fare obstructions  will  only  make  the  other  a  possibility,  not 
an  actuality. 

89 


Report  on  Traction  Improvement. 


The  use  of  automatic  signals,  inaugurated  by  the  Com- 
pany last  year,  is  a  very  commendable  move  towards  re- 
ducing one  of  the  causes  of  delay  in  motorman  having  to 
leave  the  car  to  throw  the  switch  clearing  the  block  ahead. 
These  signals  have  made  possible  a  considerable  decrease  in 
running  time. 

Electric  Sivitches.  Observations  at  important  switching 
points  in  the  down-town  district  show  that  an  undue  amount 
of  time  is  lost  by  motormen  in  switching.  This  results  from 
the  fact  that  they  must  first  take  time  to  open  the  door  after 
coming  to  a  stop,  and  in  many  cases  leave  the  car  to  turn 
the  switch  tongue.  The  practice  of  leaving  the  vestibule 
window  open,  permitting  them  to  turn  the  switch  from  the 
vestibule,  would  be  rather  impracticable  with  any  system  of 
prepayment  cars.  Moreover,  this  plan  is  not  now  followed 
in  many  cases ;  notably  on  W'eybosset  and  Broad  streets. 

It  is  recommended,  therefore,  that  electric  switches  be  in- 
stalled at  all  important  intersections  at  least  within  the  load- 
ing districts.  One  electric  switch  is  now  in  use  at  Dorrance 
and  Fulton  streets,  with  obviously  good  results.  It  is  claimed 
by  the  Company  that  the  time  required  for  hand  switching  in 
the  majority  of  stops  rarely  exceeds  that  required  for  loading. 
but  this  is  not  borne  out  by  observation  made  at  ten  down- 
town switching  points;  it  was  found  that  in  the  majority  of 
stops  extra  time  was  required  for  switching.  This  excess 
time  must  bo  curtailed  in  the  down-town  district,  and  electric 
switches  have  proven  a  satisfactory  solution  of  this  difficulty 
in  other  cities. 

Traffic-Rcf/ulatioii.  The  City  imposes  upon  the  Railway 
Company  definite  limitations  as  regards  its  rolling  stock  and 
other    equipment    occupying   the    streets.      Hence,    it    is    only 

90 


CiEXKKAL     I.MI'KUVEME.NTS    IX     SERVICE. 


equitable  that  it  should  also  impose  similar  regulations  upon 
other  vehicles.  The  majority  of  horse-drawn  vehicles  track 
wider  than  the  prevailing  railway  gauge,  4  feet  Sj/^  inches, 
and  large  numbers  of  "low  gears"  and  auto  trucks  are  found 
upon  the  streets,  which  occupy  space  out  of  all  proportion 
to  the  available  space  for  ordinary  traffic.  While  the  majority 
of  vehicles  are  under  7  feet  in  width,  there  are  large  vehicles, 
such  as  barrel  and  brewery  wagons,  that  exceed  8  feet.  Owing 
to  the  prevailing  narrow  streets  in  the  down-town  district, 
the  City  should  regulate  the  width  of  these  extraordinary 
vehicles  or  else  confine  them  to  certain  streets  during  certain 
hours,  so  as  not  to  unduly  impede  general  traffic. 

The  City  gives  prior  right-of-way  on  its  streets  to  fire  ap- 
paratus, police  and  hospital.  It  should  give  street  cars  the  / 
second  right-of-way  with  suitable  penalties  for  fractious  j 
drivers.  It  is  not  unusual  to  observe  a  string  of  cars  crawling 
behind  an  obstinate  driver  and  a  recent  case  was  reported 
of  an  automobile  deliberately  holding  up  a  iUittonwoods  ex- 
press for  nearly  a  mile  before  turning  out  at  a  desired  street. 
Such  infractions  should  be  severely  dealt  with. 

The  Company  has  adopted  the  correct  type  of  rail  for 
discouraging  vehicles  following  the  rail,  or,  in  other  words, 
to  render  it  easy  for  them  to  leave  the  tracks.  Having  done 
its  part  in  installing  this  grooved  girder  rail,  it  manifestly 
can  do  no  more  until  the  City  meets  it  half-way  in  enforcing 
regulations  against  "track  hogs."  A  few  convictions  will 
immediately  have  the  desired  moral  effect  and  result  in  the 
greatest  benefit  to  surface  transportation.  In  this  work  the 
police  department  should,  of   course,   co-operate. 

Multiple  Car  Stops.  At  certain  important  loading  points  in 
the    business    district,    such    as    Dorrance    and    Westminster 

91 


Rkport  ox  Tractiox  Improvement. 


streets,  great  delay  occurs  between  streets  from  waiting  for 
the  car  ahead  to  load.  lliis  suggests  the  desirability  of 
multiple  loading;  i.  e.,  two  or  three  cars  permitted  to  stop 
and  load  simultaneously  at  the  same  corner.  At  present  the 
rules  prohibit  cars  running  closer  than  30  feet.  This  often 
results  in  a  vehicle  forcing  its  way  between  the  cars  delaying, 
to  some  extent,  prompt  movement.  This  can  be  obviated  by 
permitting  a  group  of  two  or  three  cars  to  follow  at  intervals 
just  sufficient  for  a  person  to  cross,  and  equivalent  to  a  loading 
platform  about  125  feet  in  length,  or  approximately  half  a 
block.  This  distance  must,  however,  be  designated  clearly  by 
suitable    signs. 

Night  Service.  Some  criticism  has  been  directed  against 
the  Company  for  the  withdrawal  of  some  night  cars  formerly 
operated  for  the  convenience  of  patrons.  It  is  believed  that 
this  is  a  method  of  securing  high  economics  in  operation 
which  does  not  produce  sufficient  results  to  warrant  the  in- 
convenience to  patrons.  Night  cars  are  necessarily  run 
at^a  loss,  but  small  cars  may  be  used  for  this  purpose.  The 
headway  on  lines  of  any  importance  should  not  be  more 
than  sixt\-  minutes;  on  lines  such  as  I'awtucket  or  I'awtuxet. 
thirty  minutes. 

Emergency  Service.  The  Company  should  provide  adequate 
means  of  raising  lines  of  fire  hose  or  of  crossing  them  during 
a  prolonged  conflagration,  and  install  such  emergency  con- 
nections to  its  tracks  as  to  enable  cars  to  be  temporarily  re- 
routed, so  as  to  avoid  such  oi)structions  as  far  as  possible. 

The  Company  should  also  be  permitted  to  re-route  its  cars 
around  unavoidable  traffic  obstructions  during  such  times  as 
parades,  long  funeral  ])rocessions,  etc.,  in  order  to  avoid  the 
certain  demoralization  of  its  service. 

02 


(iKXKkAL     l.MrK()\i:.Mli.NTS     l.\     SeKXICE. 


Cross-'J'oz\.'ii  Scn-icc.  With  the  gradual  concentration  of 
population  and  the  formation  of  distinct  local  distant  centres 
of  business  or  residence  in  the  various  parts  of  the  system, 
there  will  necessarily  arise  a  demand  for  cross-town  lines  to 
connect  these  various  sub-centres.  Outlying  thoroughfares 
should,  therefore,  be  studied  with  a  view  to  reserving  them 
for  immediate  or  future  use  for  such  cross-town  lines. 

The  need  for  such  service  appears  to  exist  at  the  present 
time  for  the  important  junction  of  Westminster  and  Cranston 
streets  via  Winter.  Lockwood  and  Point  streets  across  Point 
Street  Bridge  to  the  lower  East  Side  or  E.  Providence,  to 
eliminate  the  distance  and  delay  in  passing  through  the  down- 
town business  district. 

A  local  business  centre  is  now  developing  rapidly  in  Elm- 
wood  and  suggests  the  future  possibility  of  a  cross-town  line 
from  Olneyville  Square  via  Huntington  and  Potter  avenues 
to  this  district,  which  line  might  reasonably  be  extended  via 
Public  street  to  South  i'rovidence,  and  possibly  still  further 
via  Eddy  street  and  Point  street  Bridge  to  East   Providence. 

In  another  instance  where  a  community  of  interest  cer- 
tainly exists,  a  line  suggests  itself  via  Valley  and  Orms 
streets ,  connecting  Olneyville  and  the  manufacturing  and 
transfer  centre  at  Randall  Square. 

Each  one  of  these  trunk  line  crossings  would  ultimately 
develop  into  an  important  transfer  ]Mjint.  At  the  start,  the 
cross-town  line  might  most  readily  be  operated  as  a  shuttle 
to  be  later  extended  as  a  belt  line,  or  double  tracked  by 
means  of  parallel  streets  where  available. 

Transfcrs.'\  The  volume  of  transfer  traffic  within  the 
Union  Division  is  considerably  lower  than  would  be  expected 


Transfer  zone  maps — Plate  VIII. 

93 


REPORT   OX    TUACTKJX    LmPROVEMEXT. 


of  a  radial  city  with  no  cross-town  lines.  For  1910  it  aver- 
aged less  than  19^^  and  had  increased  by  only  a  small  margin 
since  1907.  In  other  cities  the  percentage  averages  around 
35%,  up  to  70%  in  Chicago,  which  is  a  city  of  rectangular 
street  plan.  This  would  seem  to  indicate  that  the  operation 
of  through  routes  in  Providence  has  resulted  in  this  great 
reduction  in  the  transfer  habit.  Undoubtedly  this  is  the  case 
with  many  of  the  through  routes,  but  it  also  occurs  that 
some  of  them  are  the  heaviest  in  transfers;  thus.  Prairie- 
Butler-Camp,  23.4% ;  Plainfield-Brook-Governor,  25.9% ; 
Academy-Taunton,  26.8%;  while  on  the  Broad  Street  Loop 
line  to  Pawtuxet  only  12.8%  of  the  passengers  use  transfers. 

The  general  results  indicate  that  either  the  transfer  habit 
is  not  fully  cultivated  here,  that  the  present  through  routes 
have  not  been  chosen  to  the  best  advantage  for  the  needs  of 
the  majority  of  patrons  or  else  that  the  transfer  privilege  is 
curtailed  in  some  other  way  so  as  to  be  ineffective.  This 
latter,  however,  is  not  the  case,  as  practically  universal  trans- 
fers are  in  force,  except  that  inbound  suburban  passengers 
boarding  cars  within  the  five-cent  zone  but  outside  of  the 
transfer  limits  are  not  entitled  to  a  transfer  within  the  city. 
These  transfer  zones  are  in  many  cases  outside  of  the  city 
limits,  as  follows : 

East  Providence:  North  Broadway  &  Massasoit  Avenue. 
Broadway  Six  Corners,  Broadway  &  Warren  Avenue. 

Smithfield  Avenue:     St.  Francis  Cemetery. 

Piuttonwoods  Line:     Pawtuxet  River. 

Thi>  leads  td  the  conclusii)n  that,  because  of  the  directness 
of  the  thoroughfares  in  Providence  and  the  numerous  through 
routes  provided,  transfers  arc  not  as  essential  as  in  cities  of 
rectangular  layout,  and  consequently  less  used. 

94 


CiKXERAL    I.MI'KOXEMEXTS    IX     SERVICE. 


There  appears,  however,  to  be  round  trip  riding  owinj^  to 
the  final  convergence  of  separate  lines  outbound  from  the 
city.  Several  cases  of  such  transfer  abuse  are  known  to 
exist;  i.  e.,  Olneyville  via  Broadway,  return  via  Westminster 
Street ;  Elmwood  via  Elmwood  Avenue,  return  via  Broad 
Street ;  South  Providence  via  Broad  Street,  return  via  Friend- 
sliip  Street  or  Prairie  Avenue ;  Washington  Park  via  Broad 
Street,  return  via  Eddy  Street;  ]\It.  Pleasant  via  Chalkstone 
Avenue,  return  via  Academy  Avenue ;  East  Side  via  Camp 
Street,  return  via  Hope  Street.  Presumably  numerous  other 
cases  might  be  cited. 

In  one  recent  case  parties  boarded  an  Eddy  sti'eet  inbound 
local  at  New  York  Avenue  at  7:15  P.  M.,  returned  on  Edge- 
wood  &  Pawtuxet  Car  via  Broad  Street,  reaching  destination 
at  9:30.  The  interval  in  town  of  7:30  to  9:05  was  covered 
by  transfer  and  unquestioned  by  the  conductor. 

This  abuse  should  be  stopped  by  every  reasonable  means. 
It  is  a  form  of  petty  dishonesty  which  many  citizens  un- 
fortunately indulge  in.  .simply  because  it  is  possible,  without 
considering  the  serious  character  of  the  oflfence.  Every  double 
ride  means  less  service  for  the  normal  revenue  riders,  and 
in  the  end  the  entire  city  will  benefit  by  its  abolition. 

No  railway  company  should  be  called  upon  to  provide  a 
round  trip  for  a  single  fare.  It  is  true  that  a  through  route 
permits  cross-town  riding  of  perhaps  the  same  distance  for  a 
single  fare,  but  were  this  more  prevalent,  the  company  could 
not  afford  to  do  it.  It  is  because  only  comparatively  few  people 
ride  the  entire  distance  of  a  through  route,  that  the  loss  is 
negligible  as  compared  with  the  profits  from  normally  short 
haul  routes,  the  greater  convenience  to  its  patrons,  also  the 
elimination  of  congestion  due  to  extra  down-town  looping. 

95 


Report  ox  Tractiox  Improvement. 


The  simplest  suggestion  is  a  system  prevailing  in  Chicago, 
where  the  transfer  traffic  reached  tremendous  proportions  a 
few  years  ago.  By  means  of  colors  the  conductor  is  enabled 
to  refuse  a  transfer  tendered  by  a  passenger  returning  in  the 
same  general  direction  from  which  he  came.  In  other  words, 
a  passenger  on  a  car  from  any  district  could  not  be  trans- 
ferred to  another  line  reaching  that  same  district,  but  could 
receive  a  transfer  to  any  other  district.  The  color  of  his 
transfer  thus  becomes  evidence  of  error  and  relieves  the  con- 
ductor of  the  moral  duty  of  refusing  it. 

In  Providence,  as  the  railway  system  is  radial  rather  than 
rectangular,  this  would  tend  to  simplify  the  situation;  thus, 
Olneyville  passengers  could  not  receive  transfers  to  any  out- 
bound line  reaching  Olneyville ;  similarly  Mt.  Pleasant,  Smith 
Hill,  North  Providence.  Constitution  Hill,  Capitol  Hill,  East 
Providence,  Prospect  Hill,  south  East  Side,  Soutli  Providence. 
Elmwood,  Dexter  Street,  and  Washington  Park. 

If  this  abuse  is  not  curtailed  it  is  liable  to  reach  the  pro- 
I)ortions  of  a  nefarious  business  with  established  points  of 
deposit,  where  transfers  could  be  bought  and  sold  for  one  or 
tv.o  cents,  as  was  the  case  in  Chicago.  It  is  believed  that,  if 
the  citizens  of  Providence  realize  the  seriousness  of  this  traf- 
fic they  will  not  become  impatient  at  any  restrictions  that  it 
may  be  necessary  to  impose  in  order  to  stamp  it  out. 

Tnrn-Outs  vs.  Double  Tracking.  There  is  a  logical  time 
in  the  development  of  traffic  along  a  given  line  when  double- 
tracking  should  take  place.  In  Providence  this  is  a  difficult 
matter,  because  of  the  absence  of  sufficiently  wide  roadways, 
but    wherever   possible    double-track    should    be   laid    when    a 

96 


General   Lmi-kovements  i\    Service. 


given  density  of  traffic  has  been  reached.  This  density  may 
be  expressed  in  car  miles  per  mile  of  single  track  operated. 
To  illustrate  the  limitations,  a  five  minute  headway  may  be 
■  used.  For  eighteen  hour  operation,  this  corresponds  to  an 
annual  total  of  114,000  car  miles  per  mile  of  track.  Up  to 
this  point  single  track  can  be  operated  effectively  with  the 
proper  number  of  turn-outs  for  accommodating  the  headway, 
but  as  a  general  rule,  when  necessary  turn-outs  are  more 
frequent  than  three  per  mile,  or  1,750  feet  corresponding  to 
an  average  of  2.5  minutes  headway,  dotible-tracking  becomes 
advisable. 

The  average  length  of  a  turn-out  is  perhaps  280  feet,  so 
that  the  additional  cost  of  special  work  is  in  the  end  greater 
than  straight  double  track.  In  Providence  the  minimum  spac- 
ing of  turn-outs  is  about  1,600  feet  on  Friendship  street  and 
1,000  feet  on  Pocasset  avenue.  The  latter  street  carries  the 
traffic  converging  from  two  lines, — Plainfield  street  and  Dyei 
avenue,  while  Friendship  street  carries  but  one. 

In  cases  where  double  tracks  cannot  be  located  in  the  centre 
/     of  the  street  and  an  alternative  parallel  route  does  not  exist, 
/        side  track  location  must  be  resorted  to,   and  the  objections 
/  of  citizens  to  this  method  of  providing  proper  transit  facilities 

V.  cannot  be  regarded  as  reasonable,  in  the  face  of  their  demand 

for  such  facilities.  It  is  not  within  the  province  of  the  rail- 
way company  to  determine  which  side  of  the  street  this  loca- 
tion should  be  made. 

Such  side  double  tracking  can  often  be  avoided  by  means 
of  one  way  loop  circuits.  These,  however,  must  not  cover  a 
greater  territory  than  convenient  walking  distance  between 
the  sides  of  the  loop. 

97 


Report  on  Traction  Improvement. 


( 


Expresses.  There  seems  to  be  a  decided  opposition  among 
the  city  residents  to  the  development  of  the  suburban  express 
service.  It  is  beheved  that  this  is  short  sighted  and  a  destruc- 
tive poHcy  for  the  good  of  the  metropolitan  district  as  a  whole. 
In  transportation  the  problem  is  not  defined  by  municipal 
boundaries  of  the  settled  districts.  The  relations  between  the 
city  and  the  suburbs  are  so  close,  both  in  social  and  a  business 
way,  that  the  one  cannot  exist  without  the  other.  Eventually 
a  city  by  expansion  automatically  absorbs  its  settled  suburbs, 
and  it  is  apparent,  therefore,  that  any  throttling  of  suburban 
development  reacts  unfavorably  upon  the  rapid  development 
of  the  city. 

In  Providence  the  expresses  which  have  already  been  es- 
tablished aref  of  necessity  forced  to  adhere  to  the  local  tracks, 
so  that  the  time  saved  in  an  express  run  from  the  business 
district  to  the  first  suburban  stop  can  only  be  equal  to  the 
prevailing  local  headway  on  those  tracks.  If  separate  routes 
could  be  found  for  the  use  of  these  expresses,  such  an  ar- 
rangement would  be  distinctly  advantageous ;  but  no  such 
routes  exist  in  Providence,  with  the  possible  exception  of 
Eddy  street  and  Aliens  avenue,  which  are  remarkably  direct 
routes  to  the  suburban  district  lying  to  the  south. 

But  this  necessity  of  accommodating  both  express  and  local 
service  does  not  render  it  necessary  to  accept  local  business 
on  express  cars.  The  general  disposition  of  the  American 
railway  patron  is  to  take  the  first  car  that  comes  along  ir- 
respective of  its  destination  or  loading.  This  results  in  a 
heavy  short  haul  superimposed  upon  the  long  haul  load,  while 
the  entire  capacity  of  the  car  should  be  reserved  for  the  latter. 


■'■.See  Schedule'  of   I'.xpressfs — Tahk-   \'.'>. 


Cii:xi:RAL   I.MPkovLiMENTS  IX   Sekvici; 


The.  present  practice  of  the  raihvay  company  should,  there- 
fore, be  perpetuated,  and  tlie  single  exception  thereto  should 
be  abolished.  Other  express  lines  to  outlying  suburbs.  Oak- 
lawn,  Hughesdale  and  other  similar  points  of  heavy  through 
suburban  traffic  should  be  installed  to  eliminate  the  present 
short  haul  load. 

Olneyville  Express  Service.  The  time  required  at  present 
to  reach  Olneyville  is  about  twenty  minutes.  This  is  entirely 
loo  long  for  a  sub-centre  of  such  importance  as  a  transfer  point 
and  possessing  such  direct  thoroughfares  to  the  centre  of 
Providence  as  Broadway  and  Westminster  street.  There  are 
three  alternatives  in  reaching  Olneyville  more  promptly :  First, 
express  via  Harris  avenue  from  Exchange  Place  loop.  This 
service  would  contemplate  large  cars,  few  stops  and  rapid 
running  along  a  street  which  is  now  comparatively  unfre- 
(juented  by  vehicular  traffic.  But,  in  order  to  fully  accomplish  its 
purpose,  the  street  should  be  entirely  clear  of  local  service  and 
relieved  of  stops.  The  mileage  of  this  route  between  termini 
is  2.13. 

Second,  the  electrification  of  the  steam  railroad  tracks  from 
Union  Station  to  Olneyville  has  been  suggested.  It  should  be 
noted  that  the  question  of  electrification  here  is  quite  dififer- 
ent  from  that  of  the  Riverside  lines  now  operating  through 
the  east  side  tunnel.  The  latter  are  entirely  free  from  main 
line  tracks,  simply  connecting  at  Union  Station.  The  Olney- 
ville electrification,  liowever,  \vould  necessarily  have  to  be 
made  on  main  line  tracks,  and  if  such  local  passenger  service 
were  superimposed  on  such  through  traffic  over  the  four  tracks 
of  the  New  York.  New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad  it  would 
be  but  logical  that  the  question  of  this  electrification  should 


99 


Report  on  Traction  Improvement. 


also  involve  that  of  the  extension  of  same  through  Elmwood, 
Auburn,  Lakewood  and  Warwick  Shore  resorts  by  way  of 
the  original  steam  railroad  tracks  connecting  at  Auburn.  This 
electrification  is  believed  to  be  serious  enough  to  warraiit  im- 
mediate consideration  with  a  view  to  meeting  the  future  de- 
velopment of  the  district,  which  will  become  more  and  more 
difficult  to  handle  by  surface  trolley  lines  unless  a  direct  thor- 
oughfare be  ultimately  reserved  exclusively  for  non-stop  ex- 
press service,  such,  for  example,  as  Aliens  avenue.  The  elec- 
trification of  a  short  strip  of  main  line  track,  such  as  between 
Union  Station  and  Olneyville,  simply  for  shuttle  service  would 
be  questionable,  except  in  its  relation  to  more  extensive 
projects. 

The  third  alternative  is  to  reserve  Broadway  for  direct 
express  traffic.  Assuming  the  possibility  of  a  short  down-town 
loop  via  Fountain  and  Washington  streets,  the  mileage  be- 
tween termini  would  be  1.62.  With  limited  stops  a  schedule 
speed  of  ten  miles  per  hour  could  be  maintained  with  perfect 
safety,  which  would  mean  the  delivery  of  passengers  from 
Exchange  Place  to  Olneyville  Square  in  10  minutes.  These 
cars  should  be  of  the  largest  type  available,  and  their  progress 
should  not  be  impeded  by  a  large  number  of  small,  slow, 
single  truck  cars.  Broadway  should  be  known  i)rimarily  as  a 
fast  line.  In  order  to  make  the  same  time  via  Harris  avenue, 
expresses  would  have  to  run  on  an  average  of  13.2  miles  per 
hour,  owMUg  to  the  greater  distance.  Thus,  the  greatest  ad- 
vantage to  be  gained  by  the  more  circuitous  route  is.  largely 
annulled,  and  whatever  advantage  remaining  will  progress- 
ively decrease  in  the  future  as  the  Harris  avenue  district 
develops   industrially. 


100 


General  Improvements  in  Service. 


East  Side-West  Side  Electrification.  The  demand  for  ex- 
press service  to  Olneyville  should  consistently  come  under  the 
same  general  scope  as  that  of  Watchemoket  and  East  Provi- 
dence. Olneyville  at  the  present  time  is  more  developed,  but 
East  Providence  has  the  greater  possibility  for  development 
and  expansion.  The  demand,  therefore,  will  arise  for  an  East 
Side-West  Side  connection.  If  the  Olneyville  and  South 
Providence  roadbed  were  electrified  this  extension  should  be 
considered  co-ordinately. 

Those  who  demand  electrification  of  steam  lines  do  not 
recognize  the  fact  that  passengers  desiring  rapid  transit  might 
reasonably  have  to  pay  ten  cents  per  trip  to  the  residential 
district.  The  fare  by  railroad  would  necessarily  be  five  cents 
with  an  additional  fare  over  the  street  railway.  This  is 
brought  about  by  the  fact  that  rapid  transit  is  worth  more 
than  slow  traffic,  and  the  railroad  company  in  giving  up  its 
lines  for  local  traffic  should  receive  greater  return  in  some 
form.  The  question  of  a  possible  transfer  between  the  two 
systems,  however,  is  considerably  simplified  by  the  fact  that 
both  are  under  the  same  corporate  control.  Such  an  effective 
co-ordination  of  service  will  undoubtedly  be  advantageous  to 
the  public  in  the  future  and  more  readily  secured  than  if  the 
two  branches  of  service  were  under  competitive  management. 

Trolley  Freight.  It  appears  to  be  the  practice  to  allow 
heavy  box  cars  carrying  electric  freight  to  pass  through  the 
congested  streets  of  the  city  at  any  most  convenient  time  dur- 
ing the  day  or  night.  Two  or  three  of  these  cars  have  often 
been  observed  passing  together  out  main  line  thoroughfares 
at  times  of  heaviest  street  traffic.  This  practice  should  be 
discontinued    during   the    rush    hours.      The    main    thorough- 


lOI 


Report  on  Traction  Improvement. 


fares  are  sufficiently  congested  under  the  best  conditions  with- 
out the  addition  of  this  cumbersome  freight  equipment  and  it 
is  possible  to  handle  this  business  during  normal  hours  of  the 
dav  or  after  'seven  o'clock  at  night  without  imposing  any  hard- 
ship upon  the  operating  department. 

Owing  to  the  nature  of  the  Elniwood  district  and  the  fact 
that  the  track  runs  so  close  to  the  walk,  it  is  believed  that 
trolley  freights  should  be  routed  over  another  line.  The 
danger  incurred  by  accident,  due  to  an  unlighted  car  passing 
along  the  curb,  is  considerably  greater  than  with  a  fully  lighted 
car  which  can  be  seen  approaching.  The  logical  routing  for 
this  electric  freight  is  via  Dyer-Eddy-Warwick  branching  off 
through  Park  avenue  to  the  East  Greenwich  and  Riverpoint 
district. 

As  a  general  principle  this  freight  routing  should  be,  not 
through,  but  around  the  residential  district  as  much  as  pos- 
sible, even  at  the  expense  of  greater  car  mileage.  Electric 
freight  has  undergone  effective  development  in  many  cities 
of  the  country,  notably  Detroit  and  Cleveland,  and  unques- 
tionably is  a  great  convenience  for  the  transportgjj£a»-of  light 
parcel  or  bulk  freight  and  perishable  produce.  But  city  streets 
can  hardly  be  considered  as  suitable  roadways  for  the  hand- 
ling of  heavy  bulk  freight.  Providence  should  undertake  im- 
mediately the  development  of  a  more  suitable  electric  freight 
terminal  than  at  present  in  use,  providing  more  adequate 
facilities  with  less  disturbance  of  street  traffic. 


102 


GENERAL  IMPROVEMENTS  IN  PLANT  AND  EQUIPMENT. 


Syiiof^sis:  Slaitdard  of  track  coiisfnu-fioii  and  inaiiitriiaiice 
fair.  RollUui  stock.  J'cstihulc.s  too  constricted  for 
seating  caf^acify.  Prcf^ayiiicnt  plan.  Of^cn  bulk- 
head. Folding  doors  and  steps.  Platform  6>2  fi-'ct 
long,  possible  ivith  present  overhang.  Cross  seats. 
Proposed  car.  Single  ended  operation.  Trial  of 
maximum  traction  trucks  and  semi-comrrtihle  equip- 
ment suggested.  Steps.  Drazvbars.  Heating,  light- 
ing and  ventilation.  Pozcer  distribution.  Car  houses 
and  methods.     Destination  and  route  signs. 

Tracks.  In  general,  the  permanent  way  is  fairly  well  con- 
structed and  maintained,  especially  on  lines  of  heavy  travel, 
such  as  Pawtuxet  and  Pawtucket.  The  present  standard  in 
use  is  of  modern  design  and  generally  suited  for  the  service. 
This  standard  consists  of  io6  lb.  "Trilby"  section  or  grooved 
rail  with  concrete  sub-base  extended  along  underneath  the 
track  in  the  form  of  longitudinal  beam  construction,  with  ties 
about  6  feet  apart.  This  construction  is  used  with  asphalt, 
bitulithic  macadam  and  granite  block  pavement,  mostly  in 
thoroughfares  carrying  very  heavy  traffic,  to  the  extent  of 
about  9.8  miles  of  single  track,  and  confined  mostly  to  the 
down-town  district.     The  longest  stretches  outside  are  Broad- 


103 


Report  ox  Tractiox  Improvemext. 


way.  Angell.  Waterman  and  Promenade  streets.  For  streets 
of  lighter  traffic  the  same  rail  is  used  but  ties  are  spaced  at  2 
feet  centers  and  laid  in  gravel  instead  of  concrete.  In  a  num- 
ber of  streets  unpaved  or  of  special  designs,  such  as  Elmwood 
avenue,  T  rail  has  been  laid  to  good  advantage  with  ties  2 
feet  centers.  One  instance  of  T  rail  with  granite  block  paving 
on  concrete  and  ties  3  feet  centers  has  been  permitted  by  the 
Cil}'  en  trial:  viz.,  Promenadc-X^alley  streets.  T  rail  track 
on  gravel  is  also  used  in  connection  with  granite  block  pav- 
ing, on  Eddy  and  Dyer  streets  in  the  teaming  district. 

Reconstruction  of  important  trunk  lines  should  be  carried 
out  with  this  concrete  sub-base  or  equivalent  construction.  For 
branch  lines  a  lighter  construction  is  suitable.  In  this  respect, 
however,  it  is  to  be  noted  that  Cranston  street  and  Warren 
avenue  are  being  reconstructed  at  present  without  either  con- 
crete sub-base  or  gravel  ballast,  simply  loam  packed  under  the 
ties.  If  the  Cranston  street  construction  is  to  be  regarded  as 
adhering  to  the  standard  set  by  the  Company,  it  does  not 
possess  the  stability  necessary  to  handle  the  heavy  traffic  which 
will  undoubtedly  show  a  rapid  increase.  The  same  may  be 
said  of  the  Warren  Avenue  line,  over  wdiich  the  heavy  River- 
side traffic  is  routed. 

The  standard  tie  plate  being  used  is  an  eight-bolt  "con- 
tinuous" joint  set  between  supporting  ties  except  with  con- 
crete sub-base  and  with  flexible  "protected"'  type  bonds  fitted 
under  the  tie  plate.     This  is  good  construction. 

The  total  mileage  of  the  present  standard  rail  and  other 
girder  sections  above  981/.  lbs.  is  approximately  61. i  miles; 
there  are  also  7.9  miles  of  standard  T  rail,  79  lbs.  or  there- 
abouts.    The  balance  within  the  City,  aggregating  16.4  miles. 


104 


Gi:\i:ral  iMrRovEMENTS  IX   Plant  and  Equipment. 

represents  rails  of  either  obsolete  section  or  too  light  for  use 
in  an  up-to-date  system.  Of  this  total,  11.4  miles  is  girder 
rail.     These  figures  are  necessarily  approximate. 

It  is.  therefore,  apparent  that  much  maintenance  work  re- 
mains to  be  done.  The  construction  program  for  the  present 
year  covers  5.4  miles  renewals  and  repairs  and  1.6  miles  ex- 
tensions, including  turn-outs,  aggregating  7  miles  within  the 
city  limits.  Work  contemplated  outside  of  the  City,  but  with- 
in the  Union  Railway  Division  brings  the  total  up  to  11. 4 
miles,  7  miles  for  renewals  and  repairs  and  4.4  miles  for 
extensions. 

The  special  work  around  the  system  is  generally  of  proper 
construction,  but  some  of  it  has  been  allowed  to  get  in  poor 
condition ;  for  example,  at  Hoyle  Square.  A  detailed  canvass 
of  the  lines  would  undoubtedly  show  a  large  number  of  pieces 
needing  repairs  or  replacement.  Special  work  should  be  the 
last  to  be  neglected  in  track  maintenance. 

Corrugated  rail  exists  at  various  points,  and  is  a  great 
source  of  annoyance  in  the  residential  districts  on  account  of 
the  noise.  Typical  examples  are  to  be  found  at  Weybosset 
street,  curves  south  of  Turks  Head  and  north  of  Clififord, 
and  Elmwood  avenue,  curves  at  Cromwell  street  and  Trinity 
Square.  The  Elmw^ood  Avenue  trouble  is  particularly  notice- 
able because  of  the  location  of  the  track  so  close  to  the  build- 
ing line.  \\'here  the  traffic  is  as  heavy  as  on  Elmwood  Ave- 
nue, and  especially  where  freight  service  is  maintained  during 
the  night,  it  is  believed  that  this  track  should  receive  more 
attention  and  be  kept  up  to  a  higher  standard  of  maintenance. 

Signal  System.  On  single  track  lines  the  Company  has 
made  a  good  start  in  the  installation  of  automatic  Semaphore 


10: 


Report  ox  Traction  Improvement. 


signals,  operated  by  the  motorman.  There  are  eighteen  blocks 
of  these,  installed  last  year.  The  remaining  signals  are  operated 
by  hand,  the  work  being  assigned  to  the  motorman,  who  is 
obliged  to  leave  his  car.  He  may  thus  lose  several  minutes  in 
delay  from  signalling  on  long  stretches  of  single  track.  The 
trial  of  the  automatic  signals  is  to  be  recommended  for  ex- 
tension over  all  lines  necessitating  single  track,  reverse  opera- 
tion, if  a  type  can  be  found  that  proves  permanently 
satisfactorv. 


Rolling  Stock. 

The  present  schedule  of  cars  operated  into  or  within  the 
Citv  of  Providence  comprises  three  principal  classes :  twenty- 
six,  thirty-four  and  forty-two  seats  respectively;  some  of  city 
and  some  of  suburban  design.  All  have  longitudinal  seats 
except  suburbans  or  long  haul  cars,  which  have  cross  seats, 
or  combination  of  cross  and  longitudinal.  Table  lO. 

The  summer  equipment  consists  of  open  cross  seat  cars, 
locally  known  as  "bloomers,"  varying  from  forty  to  seventy- 
five  seating  capacity.  With  the  exception  of  the  suburbans, 
practically  all  cars  are  changed  summer  and  winter. 

Of  the  winter  urban  equipment  in  cars,  or  27.8%  of  the 
total,  are  of  the  small  single  truck  class,  and  a  large  number  of 
them  will  need  to  be  retired  very  .soon  on  account  of  their  in- 
adequacy for  heavy  city  traffic.  This  will  not  be  so  serious 
a  matter,  as  they  represent  only  21'^'^  of  the  seating  capacity. 
These  small  cars  have  been  retained  up  to  the  present  time 
because  of  the  difficulty  of  operating  any  other  type  of  car 

106 


General  Improvemexts  in   Plant  and  Equipment. 


over  College  Hill  approach  to  the  East  Side,  and  they  will 
continue  to  be  required  until  some  satisfactory  form  of  ap- 
proach is  determined  upon.  Of  the  thirty- four  seat  class,  153 
in  number,  these  are  more  adequate  for  the  service,  the  prin- 
cipal objection  being  the  exceedingly  narrow  vestibules  and 
poor  arrangement  of  destination  signs. 

The  forty-two  seat  class,  comprising  73  cars,  represent  the 
latest  type  of  equipment,  50  of  them  being  quite  new,  but  all 
having  the  same  objection,  viz.,  constricted  vestibule.  The 
remaining  25  cars  used  for  suburban  service  are  open  to  the 
same  objection,  but  not  to  the  same  degree  as  for  city  cars. 

All  of  the  double  truck  winter  cars  have  four  motor  equip- 
ments and  with  the  single  exception  of  closed  cars  on  East 
Greenwich  line,  all  cars  are  arranged  for  double  ended  opera- 
tion. The  majority  have  outside  hung  motors,  necessitating 
somewhat  greater  overhang  of  car  body  beyond  the  bolster,  in 
order  to  clear  the  platform,  than  if  what  is  known  as  the 
maximum  traction  truck  were  used,  these  having  only  two 
motors  per  car.  The  principal  objection  here  to  two  motor 
cars  seems  to  be  on  the  score  of  reduced  tractive  effort  on 
heavy  grades,  of  which  there  are  numerous  ones  in  the  city, 
ranging  up  to  8%  ;  for  example.  North  j\Iain  street  at  Con- 
stitution Hill,  and  Atwells  avenue  east  of  Academy  avenue. 

As  maximum  traction  trucks  are  operated  successfully  in 
other  cities  of  like  topography,  and  are  especially  adapted  to 
prepayment  cars  of  minimum  possible  lengths,  it  is  suggested 
that  a  sample  equipment  be  tried  out  in  Providence  under 
winter  condition  with  the  small  or  pony  wheel  outside,  i.  e.. 
under  the  platform  instead  of  under  the  car  body. 

Vestibules.  The  most  serious  objection  to  the  design  of 
rolling  stock  may  be  found  in  the  short  and  narrow  vestibules 

107 


Report  ox  Traction  Improvement. 


which  universally  exist.  On  the  older  equipment  the  vestibules 
are  set  in  from  eight  to  twelve  inches  in  order  to  provide  for 
a  step  flush  with  the  car  body.  Considering  only  the  larger 
cars,  it  is  found  that  the  thirty-four  seat  class  has  a  plat- 
form varying  from  a  minimum  of  4  feet  8  inches  to  5  feet  2 
inches  in  length  overall  from  center  posts,  which  permits  a 
side  door  of  only  283/2  inches  and  a  bulkhead  door  of  ■^2y2 
inches  clear  when  open.  The  new  Bradley  cars  have  5  foot 
platforms,  2'^  inch  sifle  doors  and  hulkliead  doors  30  inches 
in  the  clear  when  open. 

It  is  apparent  that  the  present  narrow  vestibules  on  the 
new  cars  have  resulted  from  two  things :  First,  the  necessity 
of  securing  as  great  a  seating  capacity  as  possible  in  the  car 
bodv,  and  second,  the  ordinances  limiting  car  dimensions  to 
43  feet  overall,  but  it  is  difficult  to  see  why  the  narrow 
vestibules  were  necessitated  upon  the  thirty-four  seat  class, 
except  as  a  matter  of  tradition.  Complicated  by  the  single 
entrance  principle,  the  construction  becomes  all  the  more  acute 
as  the  car  body  increases  in  capacity. 

Prepayment.  Fortunately,  the  citizens  of  Providence  have 
had  their  first  lesson  in  prepayment — automatic  registration. 
It  is  strongly  recommended  that  the  prepayment  type  of  car 
should  be  adopted  immediately.     Were  this  an  experiment  the 


change  could  not  be  suggested  with  such  certainty  of  success, 
but  the  system  has  been  so  thoroughly  tried  out  in  other  cities 
all  over  the  country  that  there  is  no  inherent  reason  for  its 
failure  in  Providence  provided  suitable  vestibules  are  used. 
The  fact  that  tlie  majority  of  modern  equipment  now  being 
built  for  urban  service  is  of  the  preiia\inent  type  carries  much 
assurance  of   its   success   here. 


T08 


General  Improvements  in   Plant  and  Equipment. 


The  prepayment  idea  necessitates  a  relatively  long  platform 
because  loading  capacity  must  be  provided  while  passengers 
are  receiving  change.  This  so-called  storage  space  increases 
with  the  size  of  the  car  body.  Persons  unfamiliar  with  the 
prepayment  principal  are  apt  to  criticise  it  severely  on  the 
score  of  slow  loading,  but  an  essential  feature  of  the  prepay- 
"ment  caTls  the  separation  oT"the  passengers  entering  and  leav- 
ing, thereby  avoiding  the  interference  which  is  the  source  of 
so  great  delay  in  the  single  entrance  type  of  car.  With  the 
present  narrow  platform  it  is  a  fact  that  the  average  time 
of  loading  per  passenger  is  fully  equal  to  if  not  greater  than 
the  time  required  for  the  prepayment  type,  both  under  rush 
hour  conditions.     Fig  12. 

There  are  two  types='=  of  prepayment  cars.  In  the  first, 
termed  the  "Pay-as-you-enter,"  the  conductor  stands  just  out- 
side the  bulkhead  within  a  small  railing  pocket  and  collects 
fares  from  passengers  before  they  enter  the  car,  either  by 
hand  or  by  fare  box,  also  assisting  the  passengers  as  they 
enter  and  leave  by  separate  paths  on  the  rear  platform.  This 
type  is  universally  equipped  with  bulkhead  doors,  usually 
double  doors  sliding  into  a  short  centre  bulkhead  back  of  which 
the  conductor  stands.  In  the  second  type  known  heretofore 
as  the  'Tay-within,"  the  bulkhead  is  removed.  The  conductor 
stands  in  the  center  of  the  bulkhead  line  collecting  fares  in 
the  usual  "pay-as-you-enter"  manner.  An  important  feature 
is  a  sliding  or  folding  side  entrance  door  which  is  also  equipped 
with  a  hinged  step  which  drops  when  the  door  is  opened  and 
raises  when  it  is  shut.  In  both  types  the  principal  exit  is 
forward,  but  both  are  usually  provided  with  a  small  rear  exit 
for  the  use  of  those  passengers  detained  in  tlie  rear  of  the 


*See  note  on  "Near  Side"  Car — Page  239. 

109 


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IIGLKK  J-— L(>.\iJl.\(.    11  Ml-:.  PRMSKX  r  VMS  11  BL  Ll'.S. 
Diagram   representing   results  of  observations   in    Dorrance   street 
on  a  large  number  of  passing  cars.       Note  that  tlie  time  required, 
per  passenger,  decreases  rapidly   with  the   number  up  to  about  ten 
passenger^  enti-ring  the  crir. 


IIO 


Illustrating 
ction  truck,  re 
'th  doors  and  s 
le  lower  detaile 


[■[CrKF.    K-TYPICAL  PREPAYMENT  CAR. 

Mln-ir.itiny  ilie  i.ri-pa> iiu-nt  vonbulc  pr-iin.sed  for  Providence.        This   car   also   illiiMr.'  ■    i- 

traction  truck,  reversed  wnii  pnny  wheels  located  well  forward  under  platform.       Entrance  in  tlic  rear,   in;iin  c 

Both  doors  and  steps  operate  mechanically  and  remain  closed  when  car  is  in  motion.       Open   bullthcads    fror 

The  lower  detailed  views  show  rear  doors  in  open  and  closed  positions  respectively,  with  folding  step  raised. 


r 


General  Imi'Ronii.mknts  in   Plaxt  axu  Eql'ii'.mext. 

car  when  crowded.  The  front  "Pay-within"  door  is  also 
operated  in  conjunction  with  a  lifting  step,  and  both  may  be 
worked  either  by  compressed  air  or  mechanically  by  the  con- 
ductor and  motorman.  If  air  is  used  positive  means  should 
be  provided  for  releasing  the  air  pressure  from  the  closing 
cylinder,  so  that  passengers  could  open  the  door  in  case  of 
emergency. 

The  open  bulkhead  or  "Pay-within"  principle  is  to  some 
extent  favored  for  the  reason  that  it  is  best  suited  to  the  present 
fare  collecting  system  now  fully  established  on  the  Providence 
lines,  and  in  this  respect  allows  much  more  so-called  loading 
space  in  the  prepayment  platform  for  incoming  passengers. 
Stationed  just  at  the  entrance  to  the  car  body,  the  conductor 
also  has  much  more  latitude  in  receiving  passengers  than  if 
stationed  outside  behind  a  bulkhead.  The  "Pay-within"'  car 
was  developed  to  suit  conditions  identical  with  Providence — 
narrow  streets,  and  sharp  curves.  Its  automatic  door  and 
step  practically  eliminates  accident  to  passengers  and  encour- 
ages prompt  schedules.    A  typical  car  of  this  type  is  shown  in 

Fig-  13- 

Some  objection  has  been  raised  to  removing  the  front  bulk- 
head for  the  reason  that  motormen  open  front  windows  for 
switching  and  that  frost  would  make  it  impossible  to  see 
clearly  ahead.  With  electric  switches  at  important  points 
the  opening  would  be  unnecessary,  and  even  now  it  is  by  no 
means  generally  resorted  to.  In  open  bulkhead  cars  the  tem- 
perature within  generally  keeps  the  windows  clear  of  frost. 
The  temperature  record  here  does  not  indicate  unusual 
severity  of  weather  not  encountered  in  other  cities  using  open 
bulkhead  cars. 


Ill 


Report  ox  Tractiox  Improvement. 


Tn  case,  however,  it  is  necessary  to  provide  a  closed  vesti- 
bule lor  the  motorman  this  can  readily  be  done  without  the 
use  of  a  bulkhead  by  arranging  separate  extension  doors  to 
surround  the  motorman  only.  These  will  be  folded  back  in 
place  when  not  needed. 

Platforms.  These  prepayment  platforms  vary  in  length 
from  5>4  feet  on  the  smaller  cars  to  over  8  feet  on  the  larger, 
as,  for  example,  on  the  Chicago  Railways.  The  latter  length, 
however,  was  provided  to  suit  the  demands  of  peak  loads  in 
a  very  large  city  and  would  not  be  applicable  to  Providence. 
Moreover,  Chicago  cars  are  equipped  with  cross  seats  so  that 
the  maximum  loading  space  was  desirable.  With  longitudinal 
seats  the  greater  standing  capacity  lessens  the  necessity  for 
loading  space  on  the  platforms. 

These  long  platforms  might  be  regarded  by  some  as  im- 
possible for  the  Providence  streets,  but  it  occurs  that  by 
tapering  the  platform  from  bulkhead  to  bumper  the  overhang 
at  the  bumper  in  rounding  any  curve  may  be  no  greater  or 
even  less  than  with  a  shorter  platform  of  rectangular  propor- 
tions now  used.  It  is.  therefore,  clear  that  the  length  of  the 
platform  is  not  the  criterion  by  which  car  proportions  should 
be  subject  to  regulation,  but  rather  the  overhang  in  rounding 
curves.  Furthermore,  it  is  not  the  inside  overhang  of  the  car 
body  that  is  serious  from  a  standpoint  of  accident,  but  that 
of  the  rear  platform  when  sweeping  around  a  short  radius 
curve.  The  overhang  of  the  car  body  at  the  curb  will  simply 
result  in  sweeping  aside  a  careless  person  without  injuring 
him,  while  a  vehicle  caught  by  the  rear  platform  would  be 
crushed. 

Overhang.  Overhang  involves  five  factors:  Length  of 
car,    radius   of   curve,    taper   of   platform,    distance    between 

112 


General  Improvements  in   Plant  and  Equipment. 


truck  centers,  and  type  of  trucks.  It  is  desirable  to  increase 
the  truck  centers  as  much  as  possible  in  order  to  increase  the 
end  overhang.  But  a  limit  is  reached  with  outside  hung 
motors  in  clearing  the  platform  underpinnings.  With  max- 
imum traction  trucks  reversed,  with  pony  wheels  forward, 
it  is  possible  to  locate  the  truck  centre  i  foot  or  m.ore  for- 
ward, and  thus  reduce  very  materially  this  end  overhang. 
This,  however,  requires  two-motor  equipment.  Spreading 
the  truck  centres,  of  course,  increases  the  inside  overhang. 

As  the  radius  of  the  curve  decreases  rapidly  on  a  narrow 
street  there  must  be  a  careful  adjustment  of  curve  radius  in 
order  to  form  a  balance  between  inside  and  outside  overhang. 
In  a  choice  between  the  two  it  would  always  be  preferable 
to  lengthen  the  radius,  thus  bringing  the  curve  nearer  the 
curb,  but  increasing  the  clearance  from  curb  to  car  step. 
Clearance  studies  of  varying  curve  radius  and  truck  centers 
show  that  for  the  present  cars  a  i"/  foot  radius  curve  is  a 
reasonable  minimum.  Below  this  radius  the  overhang  in- 
creases very  rapidly  and  should  be  avoided  in  Providence. 

Car  Studies.  In  order  to  form  a  comparison  of  proper 
proportions  best  suited  to  the  conditions  of  Providence,  we 
may  take  as  a  starting  point  the  overhang  of  the  present  roil- 
ing stock,  both  winter  and  summer.  Many  years  of  ex- 
perience have  been  acquired  with  this  equipment,  and  more- 
over, the  public  is  used  to  it.  If,  now,  we  can  design  a  car 
combining  the  desirable  features  and  not  exceeding  the  over- 
hang of  the  present  car,  there  should  be  no  reason  why  such 
a  modified  design  would  not  be  acceptable. 

The  result  of  preliminary  studies  may  be  summarized  as 
follows:  assuming  present  platform  replaced  by  prepayment 
platforms. 

ii;? 


Report  ox  Tractiox  Improvement. 


Car  body— present  Bradley  body  31  feet  over  corner  posts; 
width  over  drip  rail  8  feet  'jy2  inches. 

Platforms — prepayment  6  feet  6  inches  overall,  tapered  to 
6  feet  6  inches  width  at  bumpers. 

Truck  centers — same  as  at  present,   19  feet  6  inches,  four 
motors. 

This  car  is  shown  in  the  clearance  studies.  Plates  IX.  X. 
for  a  forty  and  fifty  foot  single  track  street  and  for  a  sixty 
foot  double  track  street,  the  minimum  for  double  track  opera- 
tion. The  outside  overhang  on  the  proposed  platform  is  found 
to  be  no  greater  on  a  37  foot  radius  curve,  practically  the 
sharpest  encountered.  The  overhang  at  rear  platform  of  the 
present  box  car  is  practically  "the  same  as  the  largest  bloomer 
cars  with  standard  truck  centers,  while  the  inside  overhang 
of  the  bloomer  is  slightly  greater  than  the  box  car,  even  with 
the  inside  running  board  lifted. 

The  composite  templates.  Plates  IX  and  X,  shows  the 
bloomer  floor  plan  at  one  end  and  proposed  prepayment  car 
at  the  other.  Assuming  a  37  foot  radius  curve  there  is 
found  to  be  7  feet  10  inches  minimum  clearance  to  curb  for  the 
fifty  foot  street,  and  4  feet  10  inches  for  the  forty  foot  street. 
The  one  will  accommodate  passing  vehicles  of  average  width,  7 
feet,  without  danger  of  i)inching  against  the  curb,  while  in 
the  forty  foot  street  a  vehicle  must  stop  as  at  present  at 
least  10  feet  l)ack  of  the  corner  until  the  car  passes  around  the 
curve. 

It  is  clear  from  a  study  of  clearance  with  various  street 
widths  later  discussedt  that  the  minimum  width  of  roadway 
on  a  street,  much  frequented  by  vehicles,  should  be  36  feet 


y  See  Plate  XIV. 

114 


Gexkral  Improvk.mrnts  IX   Plant  and  Equipment. 


for  single  track,  or  60  feet  width  of  street.  With  a  50  foot 
street,  such  as  Fountain  street,  ample  clearance  would  he 
available  on  a  tangent  for  a  vehicle  even  8  feet  wide.  How- 
ever, the  fact  that  Fountain  street  is  reached  at  an  ohlifiue  angle 
at  both  ends  and  not  at  right  angles,  decreases  materially  the 
platform  overhang  as  a  longer  radius  curve  may  be  used. 

For  double  track  lay-out,  it  is  necessary  to  spread  the  track 
at  the  curve  in  order  to  provide  sufficient  clearance  for  cars 
to  pass  in  both  directions  without  interfering.  This  neces- 
sitates a  curve  of  small  radius  for  the  outer  track,  which  has 
been  taken  at  37  feet  and  as  large  a  radius  for  the  inside 
track  as  possible.  The  point  of  maximum  overhang  occurs 
about  opposite  the  beginning  of  the  curve,  and  by  locating  an 
easement  on  the  inside  track,  either  in  the  form  of  a  spiral 
or  a  compound  curve  running  off  into  long  radius,  sufficient 
clearance  can  be  had  between  the  two  lines  of  cars  for  safe 
operation.  In  this  lay-out  for  60  foot  street  the  template 
shows  the  present  bloomer  car  at  one  end  and  the  proposed 
prepay  platform  at  the  other,  for  which  the  overhang  is  the 
same.  With  a  ^y  foot  radius  curve  on  the  outside,  and  the 
inside  curve  compounded  to  35  feet  for  a  portion  of  the 
curve,  we  have  two  important  results:  First,  that  cars  may 
pass  on  the  curve  without  interference,  and  second,  that  no 
overhang  of  car  body  is  over  the  curb.  This  is  considered 
as  good  a  result  as  can  be  expected  for  Providence  condi- 
tions. It  will  not  allow  a  vehicle  to  pass  while  a  car  is 
rounding  the  curve,  but  gives  ample  space  for  four-line 
traffic  along  the  tangent. 

Seating  Arrangement.     A  31  foot  body  has  been  considered 
in  order  to  demonstrate  the  possibility  of  modifying  the  pres- 


ir 


Report  on  Traction  I.mprovkment. 


ent  equipment  by  leng-thening  the  platform.  The  present 
bodies  with  longitudinal  seats  are  classed  as  forty-two  seats 
allowing  about  \y  inches  per  passenger  average  spacing,  which 
is  not  liberal.  The  car  would  seat  forty  people  with  i8  inch 
spacing,  or  if  cross  seats  were  used  in  double  ended  operation. 

There  is  no  question  but  that  the  best  practice  contemplates 
the  use  of  cross  seats.  The  Rhode  Island  Company  advocates 
and  uses  cross  seats  on  its  long  haul  suburban  lines.  It 
regards  a  longitudinal  seat  as  practically  essential  for  short 
haul  business.  This  is  due  largely  to  the  absence  of  the 
prepayment  principle  which  makes  it  necessary  for  the  con- 
ductor to  force  his  way  through  two  lines  of  standing  pas- 
sengers for  the  collection  of  fares.  With  prepayment  there 
is  no  reason  why  cross  seats  cannot  be  used  with  the  same 
degree  of  comfort  as  the  present  longitudinal   seats. 

In  the  accompanying  studies,  Plate  XI,  a  number  of  seating 
arrangements  are  shown  for  cross  and  longitudinal  seats  or 
combinations. 

Type  A  is  the  present  car  with  a  prepay  platform  at  the 
rear  and  the  present  platform  at  the  front.  This  would  be 
suitable  for  single  ended  cars.  Type  B  shows  cross  scats  on 
one  side  only.  Type  C  shows  an  arrangement  of  half  cross 
and  half  longitudinal  seats,  symmetrically  arranged  for  double 
ended  operation.  Type  D  shows  six  ]xn'rs  of  cross  seats. 
Type  E  shows  all  cross  seats.  Ty])e  1'  tlic  same  for  single 
ended  operation.  All  of  these  cars  are  based  u])on  the  pres- 
ent Bradley  body  which  has  a  window  spacing  32  inches,  the 
same  as  the  seats.  With  33  inch  seats  an  aisle  space  of  27 
inches  in  the  clear  is  j^rovided.  In  Type  C  the  most  con- 
stricted  point   in   the   car   is  36   inches,   nearly   the    width   of 

116 


Gexkral  Imi'Rovrmexts  IX   Plant  and  Equipment. 


the  aisle.  This  type  may  be  regarded  as  a  compromise  be- 
tween long  haul  and  short  haul  accommodations.  All  of 
these  cars  will  seat  forty  passengers  comfortably.  Assuming 
ten  standing  passengers  on  the  platform,  the  maximum  pas- 
senger  capacity   is   as   follows : 


Type 

A 

B 

C 

D 

E 

F 

Seated 

40 

40 

40 

40 

40 

40 

Standing 

4Q 

36 

30 

25 

15 

25 

Total 

87 

76 

70 

65 

55 

65 

For  single  ended  operation  Types  D  &  E  will  seat  two  more 
passengers,  or  four  at  a  maximum. 

Proposed  Car. 

Type  F  shows  a  modified  design,  car  body  8  feet  6  inches 
wide  overall.  With  modern  steel  girder  or  composite  con- 
struction and  raised  sashes,  it  is  possible  to  utilize  the  hollow 
sides  between  window  posts  for  accommodating  the  metal 
fixtures  of.  the  seat,  so  that  with  33  inch  seats  an  aisle  space 
of  31  inches  can  be  obtained,  or  with  36  inch  seats  a  25  inch 
aisle,  the  dimensions  of  the  latest  Chicago  cars.  In  this 
car  the  window  spacing  has  been  reduced  to  30  inches,  and 
with  a  body  30  feet  9  inches  over  corner  posts  forty  seats 
can  be  accommodated,  allowing  19  inches  per  passenger  on 
the  longitudinal  seats.  For  single  ended  operation  four  addi- 
tional seats  can  be  used,  giving  a  maximum  car  capacity  of  69 
passengers.  An  advantage  of  this  combination  arrangement 
is  that  it  allows  8  feet  at  each  end  of  the  car  for  two  or 
three  rows  of  standing  passengers,  reserving  the  center  of 
the  car  for  long  haul  seated  passengers. 

117 


REPORT  OX  Traction  Improvement. 


Single  Ended  Cars.  The  question  of  single  ended  vs.  double 
ended  operation  is  important.  By  some  the  latter  is  favored 
for  the  following  reasons :  First,  because  double  controller 
equipment  provides  a  reserve  against  breakdown ;  second,  that 
in  case  of  obstruction  along  the  track  a  car  would  not  have 
to  back  with  the  motorman  at  the  rear  end ;  third,  that  loops 
or  Ys  would  not  have  to  be  provided  at  the  outer  terminals. 
The  first  objection  is  believed  not  to  be  serious.  Second, 
even  with  double  controller,  the  car  would  have  to  be  operated 
from  the  rear  end  if  the  forward  controller  should  be  disabled. 
As  to  the  third  objection  loops  or  Ys  on  important  lines  can- 
not be  regarded  as  a  hardship.  More  rapid  loading  may  also 
be  accomplished  at  outer  termini  at  times  pf  congestion,  such 
as  parks  or  main  streets  of  outlying  centers.  The  arrange- 
ment is  of  maximum  benefit  on  urban  lines  of  heavy  traffic, 
at  least  on  long  haul  interurbans.  The  East  Greenwich  line 
is  now  operated  single  ended  satisfactorily  from  the  above 
standpoint.  Single  ended  cars  might  well  be  used  on  the 
more  important  loop  lines,  such  as  Pawtucket  and  Pawtuxet, 
and  at  heavy  loading  points,  such  as  Rocky  Point  and  Cres- 
cent Park.  Some  of  these  outer  terminal  loops  already  exist ; 
inner  terminals  are  already  provided.  1"he  principal  ad- 
vantage is  the  gain  in  seating  capacity  and  the  clearing  of 
the  rear  platform  of  obstructions  for  the  better  accommoda- 
tion of  the  incoming  passengers. 

Alternatives.  The  alternatives  in  regard  to  the  present 
equipment  are  as  follows :  First,  retain  the  present  Bradley 
car  with  platform,  and  pass  all  passengers  in  at  the  rear  and 
out  at  the  front,  for  double  ended  operation ;  second,  same 
as  above,  except  clear  rear  platform  for  single  ended  opera- 


nd 


Gkxeral  Impkovemknts  IX    Plant  and  Equipment. 

tion ;  third,  retain  front  platform  with  bulkhead  and  extend 
rear  platform  to  prepayment,  single  ended  operation;  fourth, 
remove  both  bulkheads  and  install  folding  doors  and  steps 
operated  by  the  conductor;  fifth,  extend  both  platforms  and 
remove  both  bulkheads,  double  ended  operation ;  sixth,  same 
as  the  fifth,   except   for  single  ended  operation. 

The  first  could  only  be  regarded  as  a  makeshift.  The 
second  little  better  than  one.  The  third  and  fourth  would  be 
a  considerable  improvement.  The  fifth  and  sixth,  a  great 
improvement. 

The  cost  of  these  changes  would  be  abottt  as  follows :  By 
using  the  "Pay-as-you-enter''  plan  with  center  bulkheads  with 
split  corner  posts  and  using  the  present  doors,  about  S425  per 
platform ;  removing  the  bulkheads  entirely  and  using  four- 
leaf  folding  doors  on  the  "pay-within"  plan,  the  cost  would 
be  about  $500  per  platform.  In  each  case  the  canopy  would 
be  spliced  and  the  platform  sills  reinforced  by  steel  angle 
stiffeners. 

Comparative  Sice.  To  illustrate  the  relative  size  of  the 
proposed  car  and  the  prepayment  cars  of  other  cities,  several 
typical  car  bodies  have  been  superimposed  in  plan.  Plate 
XIL  From  this  it  will  be  apparent  that  the  length  of  plat- 
form and   taper   herein   suggested   is   not   unreasonable. 

Steps.  Objection  has  been  made  to  the  heighth  of  steps 
on  the  Providence  cars.  Considering  the  three  most  im- 
portant types,  these  are  shown  in  elevation  on  the  composite 
diagram,  Plate  XIII.  With  a  standard  33  inch  wheel  the 
car  floor  is  about  40  inches  from  the  rail  head,  and  the  plat- 
form about  ^ojA  inches.  The  first  step  from  the  ground  is 
about  15  inches  to  17  inches,  leaving  the  second  step  14  inches 

119 


Ri:roRT  ox  Tractiox  Improvement. 


to  15  inches.  One  of  the  present  cars,  a  thirty-six  seat 
suburban,  has  the  first  step  18J/2  inches,  which  is  too  high. 

The  height  of  the  second  step  is  practically  regulated  by 
the  permissible  drop  in  the  platform,  this,  in  turn,  by  the 
clearance  of  fender  trip  and  motor  and  truck  clearance.  With 
four-motor  equipment  and  outside  hung  motors  a  drop  of 
eleven  inches  seems  to  be  all  that  can  be  secured  and  clear 
the  platform  without  shortening  the  truck  centers,  which 
would,  in  turn,  increase  the  platform  overhang.  On  the  pres- 
ent car  9  to  10  is  the  maximum.  A  greater  drop  would  re- 
quire different  car  framing — practically  necessitating  new  cars. 

The  composite  diagram,  Plate  XIII,  shows  similar  i)ro])or- 
tions  of  recent  equipment  for  various  other  cities ;  the  floor 
height  is  about  the  same.  The  platform  drop  is  less  in  some 
cases  than  in  Providence,  but  increases  to  1 1  inches  in  Chi- 
cago, where,  however,  overhang  was  not  so  serious  a  con- 
sideration. The  platforms  in  all  of  these  cars  were  about  30 
inches  from  the  rail,  the  same  as  the  new  Bradle\-  cars,  but 
the  first  step  is  a  little  higher  and  the  second  a  little  lower 
than  in  Providence.  A  second  step  of  14  inches  is.  therefore, 
not  considered  unreasonable. 

Objection  is  made  to  cutting  in  the  platform  in  order  to 
moderate  the  steepness  of  this  second  step  and  still  keep  the 
step  flush  with  the  side  of  the  car.  To  avoid  this,  the  whole 
vestibule  of  the  i^resent  cars  has  been  contracted  the  full 
width  of  the  step  tread.  With  the  prepayment  platforms  this 
contraction  becomes  unnecessary,  and  the  step  can  be  slightly 
tapered  at  its  extremity,  so  as  to  give  maximum  i)latform 
width  and  yet  not  extend  beyond  the  car  bod\.  With  folding 
steps  this  question    is   immediately   simjjlified.    for   the   entire 


120 


(""iKXKRAL  Improve  Mi:  NTS  ix   Plaxt  and  Eoiipmen't. 

widtli  of  the  platform  can  be  retained  as  the  step  is  out  of 
tlie  way  when  raised.  The  foregoin,":  photographs.  Fig.  i3t. 
of  a  recent  car  of  this  type  will  illustrate  the  point.  This  also 
illustrates  how  the  four-leaf  folding:  doors  operate  as  a  guide 
or  buffer  to  prevent  passengers  from  injury. 

Scmi-Convcrtiblc  Cars.  The  duplication  of  investment  in 
rolling  stock  now  necessary  to  provide  open  cars  for  summer 
represents  a  drain  upon  the  earnings  of  a  railway  "system 
that  it  should  not  be  called  upon  to  bear.  This  extra  invest- 
ment means  less  service  and  vice  versa. 

To  avoid  this  the  semi-convertible  car  has  been  developed, 
in  which  the  sides  are  removed  during  the  summer,  thus 
giving  practically  a  center  aisle  cross  seat  open  car.  With 
prepayment  platforms  and  automatic  doors  and  steps  the 
greatest  source  of  accidents  is  removed  and  higher  schedule 
speefl  made  possible.  The  demand  now  being  made  for  a 
center  aisle  summer  car  can  be  entirely  met  with  the  con- 
vertible car.  Remodelling  of  the  present  equipment  is  dif- 
ficult on  account  of  the  absence  of  drop  platforms,  but  new- 
equipment  of  this  type  could  be  easily  introduced  gradually 
as  the  old  cars  are  retired.  It  is  recommended  that  in  all 
future  prepayment  equipment  this  convertible  feature  be 
incorporated. 

Fenders.  The  fenders  on  all  of  the  city  cars  are  of  the 
wheel  guard  type,  located  entirely  under  the  platform ;  some 
are  tripped  automatically,  others  by  the  motorman.  Suburban 
cars  entering  the  city  have,  in  addition,  projecting  fenders, 
but  are  required  to  raise  them  while  in  the  city.     Owing  to 


'Insert,  Fii;.  12.  opposite  page   111. 


121 


Report  ox  Traction  Improvement. 


<" 


the  narrow  streets  it  is  practically  impossible  to  use  a  pro- 
jecting fender,  as  the  sweep  would  be  altogether  too  great 
a  source  of  danger  and  impedance  to  vehicle  traffic.  The 
wheel  guard  type  fender  is  effective  on  large  double  truck 
cars,  but  on  single  truck  cars  the  platform  is  somewhat  lower 
and  the  present  draw  bar  rigging  as  used  in  Providence  offers 
a  pronounced  obstruction  to  its  effective  operation.  On  some 
of  the  larger  cars  the  clearance  from  street  to  draw  bar  sup- 
port largely  obstructs  the  fender  trip  and  leaves  entirely  too 
little  space  underneath  the  platform  for  an  effective  safety 
appliance. 

Drazvbars.  The  drawbars  and  supports  can  be  completely 
eliminated  by  providing  a  permanent  socket  underneath  each 
platform  and  single  drawbar  carried  on  each  car  to  be  used 
only  when  needed  for  coupling  cars  together,  for  going  up 
College  Hill,  or  for  the  purpose  of  allowing  a  car  to  be  pushed 
in  when  disabled.  If  this  plan  were  adopted,  the  trips  of 
the  present  fenders  would  then  be  effective  in  their  present 
position. 

/'  Grab  Handles.  Additional  provision  should  be  made  for 
enabling  passengers  to  prevent  themselves  from  a  fall  during 
X,  acceleration  or  braking.  If  cross  seats  are  adopted  a  small 
grab  handle  can  be  fitted  to  the  corner  of  each  seat.  On  the 
platforms  a  simple  vertical  stanchion  at  the  entrance  might 
serve  the  double  purpose  of  providing  a  support  for  the  pas- 
sengers getting  on  and  off,  and  also  to  divide  the  passenger 
movement  in  the  same  way  as  a  bent  pipe  railing.  In  case  the 
four-leaf  folding  doors  are  used  with  a  prepayment  ])latform. 
it  is  desirable  that  grab  handles  should  be  available  on  the 
inside  of   the   doors   when   it   is   in   open    position.      In   some 


122 


General  Improvements  in  Plant  and  Equipment. 

types  of  folding  doors  such  as  used  on  the  new  cars  in  Pitts- 
burgh the  handles  fold  inside.  It  is  essential  to  have  grab 
handles  of  some  kind  to  assist  passengers  up  and  down  the 
steps. 

Bells.  Every  car  should  be  equipped  with  electric  bell  sig- 
nals. In  the  new  Bradley  cars  the  conductor  is  signalled  by 
a  buzzer  and  in  turn  the  motorman  by  bell.  This  distinction 
in  signals  is  desirable.  The  other  cars  can  be  similarly  equipped 
without  great  expense,  and  this  should  be  done  during  the 
present  season  of  overhauling. 

Ventilation.  On  the  old  cars  the  ventilators  are  of  the  old 
pivoted  sash  type.  The  latter  cars  are  similarly  fitted,  but 
with  stops.  A  radical  change  in  ventilators  could  hardly  be 
prescribed  for  present  equipment,  but  with  all  new  equipment 
any  of  the  several  deflecting  or  curved  types  of  suction  venti- 
lators are  recommended,  or  other  type  which  will  provide 
positive  ventilation  at  all  times  (with  car  in  motion)  at  the 
rate  of  350  cubic  feet  per  minute  per  passenger. 

Lighting.  The  lighting-  arrangement  in  the  new  Bradley 
cars  is  of  a  high  order.  Much  of  the  criticism  of  lighting  in 
the  older  rolling  stock  is  due  to  the  use  of  exhausted  lamps 
of  deficient  candle-power.  To  be  sure,  the  voltage  on  some 
of  the  longer  lines  drops  to  400  or  below  at  times,  but  the 
more  frequent  renewal  of  lamps  is  such  a  small  item  of  ex- 
pense as  compared  to  the  satisfaction  to  the  public,  that  the 
use  of  old  lamps  should  be  discontinued  at  once. 

Headlights.  It  is  the  practice  on  some  interurban  cars 
entering  the  city  to  keep  their  arc  headlights  under  full  power. 
This  has  caused  considerable  justifiable  complaint,  because 
of  people  being  blinded  by  the  light.     This  difficulty  can  be 

123 


RiiPOkT  ox  Traction  Lmprove.mext. 


overcome  either  by  shuttinc^  off  the  head-Hght  or  drawing  a 
muslin  curtain  over  the  disc,  as  is  done  in  other  cities.  The 
former  deprives  the  car  of  head-light,  while  the  latter  sheds 
sufficient  light  along  the  roadway  for  city  purposes  and  en- 
tirelv  avoids  the  complaint.  Another  method  would  be  to 
place  a  slanting  deflector  over  the  disc  within  the  city  limits, 
designed  to  throv.-  the  light  downwards  on  the  street. 

Front  Exit.  In  the  present  cars  it  is  the  practice  of  many 
motormen  to  lock  themselves  in  the  front  platform  and  pull 
the  curtains  down,  except  the  one  at  the  right  of  their  vesti- 
bules, prescribed  by  the  rules  of  the  Company  to  be  left 
open  at  all  times.  This  practice,  no  doubt,  grew  out  of  the 
policy  which  prohibits  passengers  from  leaving  by  the  front 
platform,  but  it  should  be  discontinued  as  a  source  of  danger. 
Accident  to  the  motorman  at  a  critical  time  might  result  in 
grave  consequences.  Moreover,  the  front  passageway  should 
be  at  all  times  clear  in  the  case  of  emergency,  whether  this  is 
done  in  ordinary  operation  or  not.  In  some  of  the  cars  the 
door  lock  has  been  carried  through  the  frames,  so  as  to  be 
operated  by  persons  inside;  this  is  a  recognition  of  the  above 
difficulty.  In  the  event  of  the  prepayment  idea  with  front  exit 
being  adopted  some  method  must  be  devised  for  shielding  the 
motorman  from  the  light  without  closing  the  opening  with  a 
clumsy  curtain.  In  open  bulkhead  cars  this  has  been  accom- 
plished by  a  curtain  about  30  inches  wide  pulled  down  at  the 
motorman's  back,  guided  by  two  vertical  pipe  stays.  The  rest 
of  the  car  is  brilliantly  illuminated.  These  .seem  quite  as 
satisfactory  for  city  work  as  a  completely  darkened  vestibule. 

Heating,     ^^lodern   i)ractice  is  tending  toward  a  combined 
system  of  indirect  heating  and  ventilation,  the  air  being  drawn 

124 


GiiNKRAL  Improvements  in   Plant  and  I'Ioiipment. 

in  on  electric  heaters  and  drawn  out  at  the  top  of  the  car 
by  means  of  the  ventilators  above  mentioned.  The  distribu- 
tion of  heaters  for  the  present  cars  is  as  follows,  based  on 
500  volts   potential : 

Standard    Bradley — 12    heaters — 11.5    amperes — 3    steps. 

34-seat  class — variable    10-12  amperes. 

Whether  this  equipment  in  all  respects  is  ample  for  abo\e 
conditions  can  only  be  determined  by  actual  tests.  The  heat- 
ing capacity  seems  to  be  sufficient  for  present  normal  opera- 
tion if  it  is  fully  used.  For  the  past  rive  years  the  average 
temperature  in  December  to  February  was  27.0  degrees  F. ; 
average  lowest  temperature  i.'j  degrees  V . ;  niinimum  recorded, 
4.3  degrees  below  F. ;  average  number  of  days  below  i^i  de- 
grees F.  114;  total  number  of  days  in  ten  years  below  zero,  13. 

Cushions.  Rattan  has  been  adopted  by  the  Company  on 
new  equipment  in  place  of  plush.  This  is  to  be  regarded  as 
an  improvement  in  the  direction  of  sanitation. 


Power  Gexerati.nt,  Capaciiv. 

The  present  generating  capacity  of  the  Manchester  Street 
Station  is  16,300  K.  W.  Assuming  a  maximum  overload  cai)a- 
city  of  50%,  which  is  probably  reasonable  in  view  of  the  fact 
that  one  of  the  large  machines  is  a  steam  turbine,  this  gives 
a  maximum  station  capacity  of  24.300  K.  W.  l^he  maximum 
peak  load  during  December  was  about  19,000,  which  gives  a 
margin  of  overload  of  slightly  over  20 '^r.  This  is  fair,  but 
does  not  provide  for  much  reserve  equipment.  However, 
the  power  is  well  split  up  into  three  alternating  current  units 

12; 


Rkport  ox  Traction'  lMPRoviiMi-:xT. 


and  nine  direct  current  units.  The  maximum  load  during 
two  typical  days  in  March  was  ii,ooo  and  13.000  K.  W. 
respectively,  including-  power  sent  to  the  five  sub-stations. 

Copper  Distribution.  Trolley  voltage  tests  taken  during 
the  rush  hour  at  thirty-six  different  points  around  the  system 
generally  most  distant  from  the  generating  station  show  the 
voltage  running  as  low  as  320  volts  for  short  periods,  360 
volts  for  periods  of  several  minutes  duration,  and  ranging 
from  these  low  points  up  to  full  generating  voltage,  600  volts. 
The  great  majority  of  tests  show  in  the  neighborhood  of  400 
to  450  volts.  Some  of  the  low  lines  were  those  depending 
upon  trolley  alone  for  current  distribution;  for  example. 
Dver  avenue  and  Smithfield  avenue.  Broadway  also  de- 
pends upon  trolley  distribution,  although  fed  from  both  ends. 
Chalkstone  and  Acadeni\-  avenues  were  low.  although  separ- 
atelv  fed  up  to  the  intersection.  Manton  avenue  is  also  low 
due  to  the  long  haul.  The  East  Side  lines  depend  to  a  con- 
siderable extent  upon  trolley  copper,  but  they  are  not  so 
heavily  loaded  with  large  cars. 

This  low  voltage  in  so  many  places  indicates  that  additional 
copper  should  be  installed  if  the  system  were  to  continue  to 
operate  as  at  present. 

To  determine  the  proper  amount  of  copper  for  the  overhead 
distribution  would  involve  much  calculationt  and  extended 
car  tests.  This  is  considered  unnecessary  at  the  present  time, 
as  the  changes  in  routing  and  service  will  change  the  distri- 
bution materially.  \\'hen  a  definite  i)rogram  of  improvements 
is  determined   upon   a   recalculatiou  of  the  copper  should   be 

"!■  I'or  such  a  study  tlic  car  location   Maj)   Plato  XX   furnishes  a  proper 
basis. 

126 


Gexeral  Lmprove.mi:xts  ix   Plaxt  axd  Equipment. 


made.  This  applies  particularly  to  negative  copper  returns 
designed  to  reduce  electrolysis,  concerning  which  reports  have 
already  been  made  to  the  City. 

Siib-Stations.     It   is   not   possible   to   consider    in   detail   in 
this    report   the   economics   of    direct   current    vs.    alternating 
current  transmission   for  the  entire  district,  as  such  a  study 
would  require  elaborate  calculations.     It  is.  however,  apparent 
that  the  present  practice  of  the  Company  in  regard  to  location 
of  sub-station  at  outlying  points  might  well  be  gradually  ex- 
tended.   The  heavy  traffic  centered  in  Olneyville  suggests  that 
a  sub-station  at  this  point  might  result  in  a  considerable  less 
drop  in   voltage  by  serving  lines  west  of   the   square   from 
Cranston  to  Centerdale.  also  assisting  the  Chalkstone  avenue 
and   Smith   street   lines   by   feeding  back.      But   whether   this 
should    be    accomplished    by    means    of    a    sub-station    or    by 
additional  direct  current  copper  is  a  matter   for  engineering 
determination  by  the   Company.  •  One  of  the   longest   single 
transmission  lines  at  the  present  time  is  to  Centerdale  and 
Enfield,   the  distance  being  approximately   7  miles   from  the 
power   station.     As   the   suburban   development   to   the   south 
increases    a    sub-station    might    be    found    desirable    in    this 
vicinity. 


Car  Houses. j 

The   latest  construction    work  of   the   Company,   as   repre- 
sented bv  the  Thurbers  avenue.  Acadenn    avenue  and  North 


"I"  Schedule  of  car  liouses — Table   14. 

12: 


Report  ox  Traction  Improve.mext. 


Main  street  car  liouses,  is  commendable  in  many  respects, 
also  the  Elmwood  avenue  car  house  and  the  Cranston  repair 
shop.  The  Hartford  avenue  l)arn  is  next  in  order  of 
adequacy,  then  Traverse  street,  and  tinall}-  Arlington,  which 
is  the  least  adapted  to  modern  conditions.  Two  of  the  old 
horse  car  barns  are  in  existence,  but  have  now  been  abandoned, 
one  on  the  Branch  avenue  line  at  (ieneva.  and  the  other  at 
the  corner  of  Chalkstone  and  Academy  avenues,  except  for 
storage. 

The  Company's  ])resent  standard  of  car  house  involves  the 
following:  Brick  walls;  Monitor  type  mill  roof;  concrete 
floors ;  automatic  sprinkling  for  fire  protection,  with  supple- 
mentary power  reservoir  system.  Approximately  half  the 
Itarn  is  used  for  the  storage  of  cars,  .se])arated  by  brick  fire 
walls;  the  other  half  is  built  with  oi)en  inspection  pits  and 
hydraulic  motor  lifts,  this  arrangement  permitting  the  cars  to 
be  cleaned  by  the  regular  cleaning  force  at  the  same  time 
that  the  motor  and  truck  equipment  is  being  inspected  and 
repaired. 

All  of  the  barns  are  single  end  design ;  that  is.  cars  are 
run  in  and  out  on  the  same  tracks.  The  best  modern  practice 
differs  from  this  arrangement,  in  that  it  permits  of  the  cars 
to  be  run  in  one  end  of  the  barn  and  out  at  the  other,  being 
cleaned,  inspected,  and  repaired  on  the  way.  l^he  objection  is 
made  here  that  at  none  of  the  locations  will  the  levels  permit 
of  double  ended  barns.  However,  it  is  quite  probable  that 
levels  can  be  found  or  created  in  the  future  to  suit  th.is  design. 
For  e.xamplc,  the  Hartford  avenue  barn  i^arallels  Hartford 
avenue,  and  bv  the  i)urcliase  of  abutting  ]iropertv  at  the  rear 
a    doultle    ended    baru    could    be    created.      At    Tluirbers    ave- 


128 


Gi:.\i:ral  Improvements  ix   Plant  and  Eguu'MEXT. 


nue  the  difficulty  in  the  levels  prohibits  double  ended  opera- 
tion, but  at  the  Elnnvood  avenue  barn  the  rear  car  house 
vard  is  tilled  with  storage  tracks  with  a  flush  transfer  table 
now  unused.  Here  the  double  ended  system  would  now  be 
possible. 

At  the  older  barns  with  dirt  or  wooden  floors  there  are 
unmistakable  evidences  of  lack  of  modern  cleaning  facilities 
Concrete  floors  are  necessary  to  permit  cars  to  be  cleaned 
where  they  stand,  if  necessary,  with  a  hose. 

Car  House  Standards.  By  t!ie  Company's  statement,  every 
car  on  its  system  is  run  in  every  500  miles  for  thorough 
inspection  of  trucks,  motors,  trolley  stands,  brakes,  controllers 
etc.  Gear  cases  are  opened  tvvice  a  month.  Cars  are  swept 
and  dusted,  windows  washed  and  commutators  sanded  each 
daily  run-in.  The  entire  body  is  washed  each  500  miles 
turn-in.  Car  bodies  are  painted  every  two  seasons  and  var- 
nished every  season. 

A  500  mile  turn-in  in  regular  service  corresponds  to  about 
3^/^  days  interval,  or  on  some  lines  twenty  round  trips,  such 
as  Buttonwoods. 

It  is  impossible  without  an  extended  examination  to  report 
definitely  whether  this  standard  is  maintained  in  all  car  houses. 
The  standard  is  fairly  reasonable  //  maintained,  although  the 
standard  in  some  other  cities  is  better.  The  facilities  at  the 
more  modern  l^irns  \\ould  unc|uestionably  make  it  possible  of 
attainment,  but  there  is  little  doubt  that  from  lack  of  equal 
facilities  at  the  other  older  barns,  and  the  evident  condition 
of  the  cars  as  sent  out  each  day  from  these  particular  barns 
that  the  standard  is  not  maintained.     The  Company   reports 


129 


Riii'ORT  OX  Traction  Imi'RO\k.\iext. 


that  the  cleaning  and  repair  force  this  year  is  practically  the 
same  as  in  1907.  For  the  additional  equipment  that  will 
reasonably  be  required,  it  is.  therefore,  recommended  that 
the  Company  improve  its  car  house  facilities  at  the  earliest 
possible  date. 

The  Hartford  avenue  car  house  could  easily  be  remodelled 
at  no  great  expense  and  converted  into  a  double  ended  struc- 
ture. The  Arlington  Barn  could  be  abandoned  or  entirely 
rebuilt,  possibly  in  connection  with  the  Cranston  street  re- 
pair shop.  The  Tra\erse  street  house  is  not  suited  for  city 
cars  and,  in  fact,  not  used,  but  located  on  the  south  shore 
trunk  line  it  can  be  utilized  to  good  advantage  as  a  supple- 
mentary East  Side  repair  shop. 

Nezv  Car  House.  It  ai)pears  that  either  now  or  in  the  very 
near  future  a  new  car  house  will  be  required  to  serve  the 
lines  of  the  third  ward.  Owing  to  its  isolation  by  the  Black- 
stone  River,  the  North  Main  street  house  is  not  readily  avail- 
able for  the  Smithfield  avenue,  Charles  street  and  llranch 
avenue  lines  without  incurring  considerable  dead  mileage. 
Vor  the  same  reason  the  Academy  avenue  barn  is  not  avail- 
able for  the.'^e  lines  because  of  the  absence  of  cross  lines. 
It  seems,  therefore,  that  a  car  house  located  in  the  vicinity 
of  r.eonard's  I'nnd.  for  example,  on  Hawkins  street,  could 
be  used  to  excellent  advantage  to  serve  the  following  lines: 
."^mithfield  aveinie.  W'oonsocket.  ['.ranch  avenue.  Charles 
street.  Dougla.N  avenue  and  Admiral  street.  especiall\  if 
the  last  three  lines,  all  of  which  are  through-routed,  should 
put  in  here  on  their  last  outbound  night  trip,  as  discussed 
elsewhere  under    l\e-ronting. 


I  ^o 


Gf.xeral  Improvements  ix   Plant  and  Equipment. 

With  the  development  of  the  East  Side  a  barn  will  also  be 
ultimately  required*  at  or  near  the  Six  Corners  in  East  Provi- 
dence. 

Repair  Shop.  The  facilities  of  the  repair  shop  on  Cran- 
ston street  seem  to  be  of  a  high  order  and  ample  for  the 
present  system  and  also  for  any  modification  of  the  present 
rolling  stock  in  regard  to  platform  arrangement,  etc..  so  that 
the  Company  should  have  no  hesitancy  in  taking  up  this  work 
in  rotation  onlv  on  the  score  of  the  cost. 


Destination  Signs. 

The  system  of  signs  at  present  employed  should  be  very 
considerably  modified  to  obtain  the  results  desired,  and  ap- 
parentl}-  the  Company  is  willing  to  accede  to  any  reasonable 
demands.  One  of  the  difficulties  it  has  encountered  is  the 
lack  of  unanimity  of  official  opinion  regarding  the  type  of 
sign  most  effective.  It  is  understood  that  the  side  signs, 
generally  designating  routing,  were  removed  by  petition,  and 
that  now  equally  great  objection  is  being  found  to  the  new 
cars  for  having  no  side  signs,  these  having  been  left  off  by 
the  Company  until  a  scheme  could  be  devised  satisfactory  to 
the  majority  of  the  riders. 

Much  criticism  has  been  directed  towards  the  dashboard  j^ 
signs  on  account  of  the  difficulty  of  reading  in  the  glare  of 
the  head-lights.     This  criticism  is  just  and  it  is  recommended 
that  dashboard  signs  be  entirely  abolished  and  that  transpar- 


he  question  of  most  economical  cost  and  location  of  course 
should  be  worked  out  in  detail  by  the  Company's  Engi- 
neers. 


I'-y-^ 


T.^.I 


Report  o.\  Traction  Improvement. 


ent  illuminated  signs  be  exclusively  used.  This  leaves  three 
location  for  signs:  First,  head  sign;  second,  rear  sign;  third. 
side  sign;  all  of  which  should  be  located  near  the  to])  of  the 
car.  Discussing  these  under  three  headings,  i.  e..  single  routes, 
through   routes,   expresses: 

For  single  rimtes.  head  signs  should  indicate  destination 
exclusively  in  any  of  the  following  wa>s :  First,  by  sub- 
center  of  population,  such  as  Arlington.  Olnewille.  Auburn, 
Edgewood,  Pawtuxet,  Pawtucket.  Alanton,  J'.roadwa}-.  Six 
Corners.  Second,  by  a  manufactory,  such  as  Cranston  Print 
Works.  Third,  by  the  last  important  street  traversed,  such 
as  Union  avenue,  Smithfield  avenue,  etc.  Rear  signs  should 
also  designate  destination,  but  in  the  case  of  a  single  route 
looping  in  the  city  the  principle  loop  should  be  designated, 
such  as  Market  Square,  Exchange  Place,  Turks  Head,  Dor- 
rance  street,  etc.  Side  signs  should  indicate  routing  exclus- 
ively, except  in  a  few  important  cases  mentioned  later,  h^or 
a  single  or  loop  route  the  word  \'IA  would  be  a  simple 
designation,  llie  side  signs  should  indicate :  First,  impor- 
tant streets  traversed,  thus  for  the  Centerdale  line,  VL\  ]\IAN- 
TON  AVE.— WESTMINSTER  ST.  or  VIA  SMITH  ST., 
the  outlying  street  being  always  mentioned  first.  Second, 
sjjecial  cases  where  thoroughfares  are  not  of  sufficient  dis- 
tinction, or  the  route  is  excessively  long,  the  destination  as 
well  as  the  routing  might  be  used  on  the  sign  side,  such  as 
Cl':XTh:RDALF  \I.\   SMITH   ST. 

h'or  ihnnigh  routes,  the  same  general  scheme  should  be 
used  as  follows:  Head  and  rear  signs  designating  destina- 
tion exclusively;  thus  (  )LX1-A\  1!  .1.1'.  for  the  (  ilneyville- 
Kumford  line;  side  signs  indicating  routing  cxclusivelv,  using 


CS-' 


GmXKRAL    I.MI'KfA'Ii.MK.NTS    I X     I'laXT    AXU    EoLH'M  KXT. 

hyphenated   term    instead    of    the    word    via    attached    to    all 
single  loop  lines.     The  end  signs  should  both  indicate  locali- 
ties as  far  as  possible,  but  in  the  absence  of  distinct  names 
streets   must   be   used.      On    the   other    hand,    the    side   sign.> 
should   indicate  routes,   not   localities,   thus,   the   line   running 
from  Olneyville  to  Rumford  should  be  known  as  the  OLXEV- 
VILLE-RUMFORD    LINE,    not    Broadway- Rumford,    head 
and  rear  sign  reading  RUMFORD,  side  sign  BROADWAY- 
COLLEGE  HILL  or  RED  BRIDGE  in  distinction  to  Wash- 
ington  Bridge  or  Taunton  Avenue.     Again  certain  exceptions 
have  to   be  made,   such   as   on   the   Eden    Park-Camp    Street 
line,  where  Auburn  is  a  suburb,  but  would  not  be  distinguish- 
able  by    using    Pontiac    avenue   as   the   designating   terminus, 
for  the  reason  that  the  Pontiac  line  runs  man}'  miles  beyond. 
Inlwund  Cars.     For  single  loop  routes  inbound  side  signs 
need  not  be  changed  and  end  signs  should  be  reversed.     For 
through  routes  the  signs  are  not  to  be  changed  while  going 
through  the  centre  of  the  city,  but  run  to  the  other  outlying 
terminus,  when  the  end  signs  need  only  be  reversed.     There 
is   some  weight   in   the  argument  that   it   would   be  desirable 
to  have  a  dash  sign  indicating  what  part  of  the  business  sec- 
tion  the   through    route    traverses — thus.    ^larket    Square    or 
Exchange  Place — but  it  is  believed  that  the  complication  and 
difficulty  resulting  would  more  than  offset  the  advantages. 

Expresses  are  now  designated  correctly,  except  that  the  first 
stop  should  be  indicated  on  one  of  the  illuminated  signs ;  thus, 
head  and  rear  sign  should  read  BUTTOXWOODS  EX- 
PRESS, sign  at  side  reading  EXPRESS  VIA  ELMWOOD 
A\T..  FIRST  EXIT  STOP  PARK  A\-E..  inbound  LAST 
EXTRAXCE  STOP  PARK  A\'E. 


^2,Z 


Ri:port  ox  Tractiox  Improvement. 


Txpc  of  Sign.  The  roll  type  illuminated  sign  may  be 
recommended  for  future  use,  because  it  has  the  advantage  of 
being  seen  from  inside  as  well  as  outside  the  car.  If  it  is 
decided  to  lengthen  the  platform  of  these  34  seat  cars  to 
accommodate  the  prepayment  principle,  advantage  could  be 
taken  during  the  change  to  install  transparent  roll  signs.  But 
it  would  be  unreasonable  to  require  the  Company  to  discard 
the  signs  on  cars  that  are   rapidly  becoming  obsolete. 

Much  criticism  has  been  directed  towards  the  use  of   the 
CAR  FOLLOW! NO  dash  sign  in  case  of  trippers  sent  out 
ahead   of    regulars   to    relieve   the   latter   of    the   excess    rush 
hour  load,  or  in  the  case  of  double  or  triple  headers  where 
cars  are  sent  out  to  pass  through  the  turn-out  together.     In 
both  cases  the  cars  are  supposed  to  stay  together  somewhat 
in  the  form  of  a  trailer  as  used  in  other  cities.     So  far,  the 
use  of  the  CAR  FOLLOWING  sign  would  not  be  objection- 
able, if  it  were  installed  as  a  transparent  sign  in  the  window 
of  the  motorman's  cab.  but  it  almost  invariably  occurs  that  at 
some  point  of  the  route  these  cars  become  widely  separated 
and  in  some  cases  the  signs  have  been  in  place  through  negli- 
gence, when  the  car  actually  following  has  been  turned  into 
the  barn.    This  separation  is  a  frequent  occurrence,  and  either 
of  these  conditions  produces  just  cause  for  exasperation.     It 
is  suggested,  therefore,  that  the  CAR   FOLLOWING  signs 
be  taken  down  when  the  car  designated  has  droppetl  back  so 
far  as  to  be  out  of  sight  of  the  conductor.      It   should   rest 
with   the  conductor  to  notify  the  motorman   to   remove  this 
sign  or  i)ut   it  in  place.     On  congested  streets  the  two  cars 
should  be  considered  as  separated  when  more  than  two  cars 
of  other  routes  have  intervened  in  the  line  of  traffic. 


L34 


GO-OPERATIVE  CITY  PLANNING. 


Synopsis:  Traction  improvement  plans  require  City  co-opera- 
tion. Thoroughfares  zvidened  or^  created.  Consti- 
tution Hill.  Randall  Street.  Mathezoson-Snozv- 
Aborn  Streets.  Fenner  St.  Fountain  St.  Fulton 
St.  Steeple  St.  Winter-Lockzcood-Point  Sts.  Mary- 
land Ave.  Smith  St.  Chalkstone  Ave.  Plainfield 
St.  Economical  street  zcidths.  Offset  track  location, 
necessary  for  double  tracking.  Fast  side  approach 
must  be  executed.  Alterative  plans.  Shelters. 
Trunk  lines  for  express  and  freight.  Studies  in 
City  planning  suggested. 

For  any  permanent  and  effective  result  to  be  accomplished 
by  the  present  plans  for  traction  improvement,  the  City  must 
offer  prompt  and  hearty  co-operation.  By  itself  the  Company 
is  obviously  helpless  to  accomplish  adequate  results,  and  the 
usual  public  attitude  of  distrust,  which  regards  any  conces- 
sions by  the  City  as  simply  additional  corporate  gain,  will 
defeat  the  purpose  of  such  plans.  The  civic  questions  in- 
volved are  of  such  vital  importance  to  the  wholesale  develop- 
ment of  Providence  that  they  should  be  i^iven  detailed  con- 
sideration by  a  technical  Commission  on  the  City  Plannini^, 
as  in  other  cities.     The  recent  report  of   F.   L.   Olmstead  to 


I3i 


Rrport  ox  Traction  Improvement. 


the  IMttsburgh  Civic  Commission  is  an  excellent  example  of 
the  profitable  results  of  such  a  study.- 


ThOROUC.III  ARES. 

It  is  regarded  as  essential  to  a  thorough  and  efifective  re- 
routing plan  that  certain  thoroughfares  should  be  opened  for 
railway  transportation,  and  that  the  necessary  modification 
of  the  present  ones  be  carried  out  i)romptl}'.  In  no  way 
can  the  City  derive  greater  benefit  in  the  end  from  the  com- 
paratively small  expenditure  necessary  for  these  improve- 
ments than  by  making  it  possible  to  efi^ect  an  adecjuate  re- 
routing plan.  If  the  City  is  unable  to  do  its  share  in  this 
work  such  a  plan  becomes  practically  an  impossibility.  The 
appended  list  discusses  improvements  most  needed  without 
question  as  to  detailed  cost,  which  would  benefit  the  business 
district  for  many  years  to  come,  and  ought  to  be  carried  out 
at  once.  The  suggestions  herein  can  only  be  incidental  to 
the  consideration  of  the  traction  problem,  whereas  the  broader 
question  of  thoroughfare  revision  ought  to  be  placed  in  the 
hands  of  such  a  City  Planning  Commission. 

It  is  not  within  the  province  of  this  report  to  determine  the 
practicability  or  cost  of  improving  thoroughfares,  but  there 
are  certain  projects  that  should  manifestly  receive  serious 
consideration,  and   these  are  briefly   commented  upon. 

Constitution  J I  ill.  Outbound  cars  on  Xorth  Main  street 
are  regularly  held  up  at  Constitution  Hill  often  as  much  as 
two  minutes,  to  perinil  the  descent  of  Auburn-Cami)  Street 
cars   via  C^lne\-   street.      This   results    from   a   single  ti-ack  up 


136 


Co-OPERATIVK  City  Plaxxixc. 


the  hill,  as  the  present  roadway  will  not  permit  double  tracks. 
Such  a  condition  of  counter-travel  operation  is  intolerable 
upon  a  main  thoroughfare.     Furthermore,  at  the  intersection 

of  Xorth  .Main  and  .Mill  streets  there  now  exi>ts  a  sharp  rever.se 
curve  necessary  to  route  North  Providence  cars  through  the 
Mill  street  entrance.  This  is  an  extremely  important  inter- 
section for  both  street  car  and  vehicle  traffic,  and  the  im- 
pediment to  traffic  is  serious,  owing  to  the  extremely  sharp 
angle  between  property  lines  at  the  foot  of  Constitution  Mill. 

I'h.e  width  of  the  roadway  at  the  foot  of  Constitution  Hill 
is  2-  ^^^^-  ascending  the  hill.  27  feet,  at  the  top,  24  feet, 
thence  varying  from  2^/2  feet  to  ^,2  f.-et  at  Randall  street. 
The  character  of  buildings  is  such  as  to  render  the  cost  of 
widening  extremely  low.  It  is,  therefore,  suggested  that  the 
western  building  line  of  .\orth  .Main  street  be  set  back  at  least 
6  feet  and  the  curb  widths  north  of  the  hill  made  regular,  in 
order  to  preserve  at  least  a  30  foot  roadway. 

The  west  side  should  be  widened  for  the  reason  that  the 
east  side  is  already  in  aligninent  with  the  Xorth  ]Main  street 
thoroughfare,  and  particularly  for  the  reason  that  the  diagonal 
width  at  the  entrance  throat  to  Mill  street  wouhl  be  increased 
some  15  feet  to  20  feet,  and  thus  preserve  an  unobstructed 
wav  for  vehicles  between  track  and  curl)  on  both  sides  of  the 
street. 

It  is  believed  that,  whether  Constitution  11  ill  is  used  for 
single  or  double  track  car  traffic,  it  is  a  sufficiently  important 
street  to  have  this  work  carried  out  while  it  is  possible  to 
do  so  at  low  cost.     At  least,  the  present  congestion  must  be 


^37 


Ri:port  ox  Traction  Lmprovemknt, 


relieved   and   the   cutting  off  of   the   corner   of   the   present 
triangular  plot  north  of  the  throat  would  be  only  a  makeshift. 

Randall  Street.  As  an  easy  grade  outlet  to  Pawtucket, 
Randall  street  is  superior  to  Constitution  Hill ;  as,  in  the  case 
of  tile  latter,  Randall  stret^t  can  be  widened  now  at  very  little 
expense.  Moreover,  it  centers  in  the  intersection  of  Randall 
Square,  which  will  then  become  a  transfer  point  for  a  number 
of  radiating  lines.  It  is  believed  that  this  fact  and  the  easy 
grade  constitute  a  preponderance  in  favor  of  the  Randall 
street  widening,  if  both  can  be  made  at  once.  However, 
both  are  essential  to  the  City's  development.  With  cars  routed 
via  Randall  street,  Constitution  Hill  would  be  left  fairl}-  free 
for  automobile  traffic  and  light  hauling,  owing  to  its  direct- 
ness, which  would  at  the  same  time  relieve  IMill  street  of 
some  of  the  interfering  traffic. 

Mathezvson  and  Snow  Streets.  The  widening  of  the  curb 
by  a  few  inches,  or  even  a  foot,  cannot  be  regarded  in  any 
sense  as  adequate  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  present  situa- 
tion on  ]\Iathewson  street.  In  a  satisfactory  down-town 
routing  ficheme  a  wide  transverse  street  is  urgentl\'  needed 
between  Washington  and  W'evbosset  streets  trunk  lines  for 
the  purpose  of  completing  outlying  track  loops.  Owing  to 
the  commercial  development  of  ]\Iathewson  street  an  actual 
widening  of  the  street  to  permit  of  a  minimum  roadway  of 
36  feet  necessary  for  d()ul)le  tracks  woidd  be  ex])ensive.  Snow 
street  has,  therefore,  been  suggesteil  as  more  feasible  and 
less  expensive,  because  it  is  not  yet  as  fully  developed.  ( )n  the 
other  hand.  Snow  street  does  not  provide  a  clear  transverse 
thoroughfare  from  the  West  Exchange  street  w:irehouse  dis- 


138 


C()-(>im:kai  i\i':  Crrv  Plannixg. 


trict,  but  this  might  be  of  some  advantage  in  leavinij  Mathew- 
son  street  clear  for  throuo^li  vcliicle  traffic. 

Intersection  of  Broadivay-Ativells-Aborn.  These  streets 
form  one  of  the  most  important  outlets  from  the  business  dis- 
trict. Although  Washington  street  is  double-tracked,  owing 
to  tlie  existing  24  foot  curl)  on  Al)<)rn  street,  it  is  impos- 
sible to  route  cars  directly  from  \\'ashington  street  to  r>road- 
wav  and  Atwells  avenue,  except  by  single  track.  This  neces- 
sitates a  diversion  of  outbound  Broadway  traffic  through  Jack- 
son street,  and  of  Atwells  avenue  traffic  through  Federal 
street  and  llradford  street. 

Here  are  three  important  converging  streets,  one  of  them 
the  widest  thoroughfare  in  the  City  of  any  considerable 
length,  with  an  outlet  only  23  feet  between  curbs.  It  is  ap- 
parent, therefore,  that  Aliorn  street  should  be  immediately 
widened  from  Atwells  avenue,  at  least  from  ^\'ashington 
street  to  both  Atwells  aveime  and  Broadway,  thus  eliminat- 
ing the  undesirable  single  track  detours  now  necessary. 

This  project  possesses  another  important  aspect:  The  City 
badly  needs  a  thoroughfare  leading  from  the  west  side  through 
to  A\'eybosset  street,  and  there  reaching  the  important  distri- 
buting thoroughfares.  Chestnut  and  Richmond  streets.  The 
advantage  of  continuing  this  widened  A1)orn  street  outlet 
through  to  Weybosset  street  is,  therefore,  worthy  of  study. 
At  the  present  time  there  is  no  through  street  existing  from 
Mathewson  to  Jackson  streets.  Simonds.  a  narrow-  street, 
is  practically  op])osile  the  Aborn  street  tliroat  and  the  ex- 
tension of  Simonds  street  interferes  witli   no  very   important 

139 


Ri'.poRT  OX  Traitio.x    I  mi'R(i\  i:.\ii:xT. 


buildings  on  \\'e\bosset  street.  I-'urtbcrmorc.  the  grade  from 
Westminster  to  W'eybosset  streets  at  this  point  would  not  be 
serious,  as  would  be  the  case  further  south,  such  as  l\mpire 
street.  As  a  choice,  therefore,  between  the  widening  of 
Mathewson  and  Snow  streets,  or  an  Al)orn  street  extension, 
the  question  must  be  carefully  weighed  as  to  cost  and  ad- 
vantages before  a  reasonable  decision  can  be  reached.  The 
object  is  the  same:  viz..  to  reach  Weybosset  street  and  the 
harbor  district  from  the  west  side  as  directly  as  possible. 
For  track  looping  any  of  the  three  can  be  used  to  good  ad- 
vantage. But,  unless  a  more  suitable  street  is  ]M-ovided.  trans- 
verse traffic  through  the  shopping  center  must  be  practically 
abandoned  and  the  looping  completed  through  Cathedral 
Square.  In  any  case  the  widening  of  the  south  side  of  Aborn 
street  from  Atwells  avenue  to  \\'ashingt()n  street  is  con- 
sidered immediately  advisable. 

An  ultimate  object  of  this  transverse  thoroughfare  is  the 
provision  for  a  possible  through  route  from  the  West  Side  to 
the  East  Side. 

Fcnner  Street.  Broad  and  Elmwood  traffic  that  is  desired 
to  return  via  \\  estminster  street  must  now  loop  through 
Mathewson  street  or  some  street  further  south.  h'enner 
street  opens  most  convenientK-  ui)on  the  iniporiant  intersec- 
tion of  Weybosset  and  Westminster  streets  at  Cathedral 
Square  and  outbound  traffic  would  find  an  easy  curve  and  grade 
through  l-'cnner  street  to  Uroad  street.  .\  slight  impedi- 
ment exists  in  the  bend  of  I'enner  street,  but  this  i)rojecting 
corner  might  be  advantageousl\-  displaced  to  the  opposite  side 
of  the  street.  The  extension  (U'  I'enner  street  in  a  straight 
line  to   Havward   Park.   V\;\\\\   and   Point   streets  should   also 


140 


Co-opiiRATivK  City  Planxixg. 


be  contemplated,  giving  a  fairly  level  thoroughfare  from 
Broadway  and  Jackson  streets  clear  through  to  the  East  side, 
via  P'oint  street  bridge.  On  this  account  Fenncr  street  could 
now  be  widened  to  advantage  for  double  track  which  could  be 
used  at  the  present  time  for  transverse  routing  for  expresses, 
extras  and  in  emergencies,  and  in  the  future  will  become 
more  and  more  needed. 

Fountain  Street.  It  has  been  urged  that  Fountain  -treet 
be  reserved  entirely  for  vehicle  traffic,  owing  to  the  preference 
of  upper  Fountain  street  over  Broadway,  as  a  means  of  climb- 
ing the  hill.  Observations  have  not  borne  out  this  fact  and 
the  wide  detour  necessary  makes  it  undesirable  to  exempt 
Fountain  street  for  vehicle  traffic.  Loading  directly  from 
Union  Station  and  (Jaspee  street,  Sabin  street  forms  a  direct 
vehicle  entrance  to  Broadway  and  At  wells  avenue. 

Fulton  Street.  Although  not  concerned  directly  in  the 
present  transit  problem,  the  importance  of  Fulton  street  as 
a  distributor  from  Exchange  Place  is  worthy  of  emphasis. 
Fulton  street  exists  as  a  tangent  from  all  of  the  important 
Exchange  Place  loops,  providing  a  comfortable  walking  street 
for  quickly  reaching  both  Westminster  and  Washington 
streets  through  Eddy  and  Union  streets.  The  width  of  the  road- 
way opposite  City  Hall  is  34  feet.  This  narrows  down  to 
13  feet  from  Eddy  street  to  Union  street.  The  east  property 
line  is  uniform  with  Exchange  Place,  while  the  west  is  con- 
tracted 21  feet.  The  character  of  the  buildings  on  the  west 
side  is  such  as  to  confine  the  widening  to  a  question  of  land 
value.  When  the  Exchange  Place  loops  are  installed  a  great 
majority  of  suburban  passengers  will  be  discharged  in  front 
of  the  Citv  Hall.     It  is.  therefore,  clear  that  such  a  restriction 


141 


Rf.port  o.v  Traction*  Improvement. 


should  not  be  permitted  in  this  most  convenient  quick  outlet 
from  the  Exchange  Place  terminal. 

Steeple  Street.  As  public  opinion  seems  unanimous  on  the 
widening  project,  it  need  not  be  further  urged  as  necessary 
for  accommodating  by  double  tracks  all  North  end  traffic 
traversing   Exchange    Place. 

l'Vinter-Lockz\.'ood-Point.  With  the  establishment  of  a 
cross-town  line  from  Hoyle  Square  to  East  side  via  Point 
street  bridge,  a  short  offset  at  Broad  street  could  l)e  ad- 
vantageously removed  by  aligning  Winter  and  Lockwood 
streets  the  necessary  few  feet,  giving  an  unobstructed  route 
to  the  double  track  on  Point  street,  returning  to  Westminster 
street  via  Summer  street,  when  tlie  ca])acity  of  the  W'inter- 
Lockwood  single  track  is  reached. 

Elmzvood  Avenue-Park  Loop.  The  facilities  for  handling 
the  traffic  to  and  from  Roger  Williams  Park  and  the  Baseball 
Cirounds  are  inadequate,  at  the  present  time,  owing  to  the 
contraction  of  l"'lmwo(Ki  avenue,  and  to  the  lack  of  suitable 
terminal  loops  at  the  Park  entrance.  It  is  understood  that  the 
widening  of  Elmwood  avenue  is  under  consideration  and  this 
project  is  believed  to  be  founded  upon  necessity. 

The  Elmwood  avenue  roadway  is  36  feet  in  widili  at  this 
point,  the  street  car  tracks  ccmverging  from  the  curb  to  the 
center  of  the  street.  From  a  study  of  all  the  conditions  in- 
volved, it  is  believed  that  the  present  side  location  of  the 
tracks  should  be  extended  south  at  least  to  \\'hitne\-  street.  This 
conclusion  is  reached  from  the  fact  that  if  center  tracks  were 
adopted,  six-line  traffic  is  practically  a  necessity  at  the  Park 
entrance.  roc|uiring  a  50-foot  roadway  lov  vehicles  7  feet  in 
width,   or   a   4fi-f()ot    roadwax'    for   vehicles   6    feet    in    width. 


142 


Co-oim:rati\i-:  Citv  Planning. 


allowing  about  one  foot  clearance  between  them.  The  latter 
would  be  suitable  for  automobiles  and  would  allow  even  the 
larger  vehicles  to  pass  hub  to  hub.  But  as  a  46-foot  roadway 
seems  to  be  out  of  the  question,  the  present  layout  seems  to 
be  the  best  alternative,  providing  a  36-foot  roadway  in  the 
center,  easily  accommodating-  four  lines  of  large  vehicles  with 
proper  clearance.  This  curb  location  of  tracks  possesses  an 
important  advantage  providing  convenient  loading  and  un- 
loading platform  on  the  east  and  west  sidewalks  respectively, 
of  ample  length  for  the  handling  of  any  crowds.  This  will 
obviate  the  present  danger  of  access  to  cars  from  the  middle 
of  the  street,  together  with  the  resulting  vehicle  congestion. 

For  effective  handling  of  these  crowds,  crossovers  are  quite 
inadequate.  A  loop  should  be  established  for  both  extras 
and  regulars,  discharging  passengers  before  entering  the  loop 
and"  loading  upon  the  tangent  track.  Such  a  loop  would  be 
desirable  within  the  Park  grounds  near  the  main  entrance, 
but  is  out  of  the  question  owing  to  the  topography  and  loca- 
tion of  buildings  and  driveways.  Fortunately  an  alternative 
exists :  Cars  traversing  a  single  track  loop  via  Carlisle.  Alger, 
and  Whitney  streets  in  the  order  named,  would  then  reach  the 
northbound  main  line  in  position  to  load  along  the  tangent 
track  opposite  the  Park  entrance.  This  loop,  however,  should 
not  be  used  as  a  storage  track.  With  a  little  excavation,  a  two 
or  three  track  siding  accommodating  six  cars  each  could  be 
built  on  Park  land  alongside  the  Park  Hrewery,  connecting 
with  the  main  line  track  on  Elmwood  avenue.  On  this  siding, 
cars  would  be  practically  out  of  sight  and  the  additional  capa- 
citv  for  1,500  to  2.000  passengers  would  be  right  on  hand 
when  needed. 


143 


Report  ox  Traction  Improvement. 


While  this  loop  would  be  of  some  assistance  in  handling  the 
baseball  loading  farther  north,  a  much  better  loop  would  extend 
from  the  Elmwood  car  house  via  Melrose  and  Longfellow  to 
the  main  line  northbound  track.  This  has  the  distinct  ad- 
vantage that  extra  cars  could  be  delivered  at  the  entrance  at 
the  exact  moment  required,  whereas  the  extras  stored  at  the 
Park  would  have  to  be  started  northward  sometime  at  a  more 
or  less  uncertain  period  before  the  close  of  the  game  and  would 
not  entirely  avoid  the  congestion  which  exists  at  present  on 
the  northbound  track.  It  is  therefore  recommended  that  the 
loop  at  Melrose  Park  be  installed  immediately  and  the  loop 
and  storage  track  at  Roger  Williams  Park  entrance  at  the 
same  time  as  the  street  widening  project  is  carried  out. 

Marxlaiid  Airmic.  A  sharji  contraction  in  .Miens  avenue 
exists  along  the  section  known  as  Mar\iand  avenue.  In  the 
future  this  street,  being  the  one  straight  thoroughfare  to  the 
south  shore,  will  become  more  valuable  for  fast  suburban 
travel  and  will  require  double-tracking.  Arrangements  should 
be  made,  therefore,  to  dispose  of  this  contraction  at  least  by 
reservation. 

Smith  Street.  This  street  carries  the  converging  traffic  of 
Chalkstone  avenue  and  .Smith  street  to  tlie  iM-ancis  street 
hill.  It  is  the  only  outlet  of  the  Capitol  and  Smith  Hill 
district,  but  is  badly  cramped  1)\  a  single  track,  also  the  only 
thoroughfare  radiating  from  the  Capitol  grounds  of  unsuitable 
width.  The  outlying  territory  of  the  third  and  tenth  wards 
remains  i^ractically  undeveloped  because  of  the  inadequate  car 
service.  The  street  should  be  widened  to  60  feet,  with  a  36 
foot  roadway  at  least  as  far  as  Chalkstone  avenue,  in  t'rder 
to  ])ernn't    fdur-way  traffic  and   double-tracking  in  the  center. 


M4 


Co-OPKRATI\E    ClTV    PlAXXING. 


Objection  has  been  made  to  the  destruction  of  trees,  but 
observation  of  the  irregular  building  and  tree  Hnes  seems  to 
indicate  that  in  the  past  the  possibility  of  a  wider  street  than 
now  exists  was  destroyed  by  the  encroachment  of  abutting 
property  owners.  Widening  of  the  north  side  where  evidences 
of  this  encroachment  exists,  would  occasion  the  least  destruc- 
tion of  shade  trees. 

Encroachments  from  a  set-back  property  line  to  the  side- 
walk line  are  usually  evidences  of  the  development  of  a  resi- 
dential street  into  a  business  street,  so  that  stores  will  abut 
directly  upon  the  walk.  For  such  a  street,  property  owners 
usually  want  streets  widened  to  bring  the  walks  up  to  their 
set-back  building  line  for  a  business  street.  But  "if  one 
breaks  through  the  set-back  line  it  is  but  a  question  of  time 
when  others  will  follow.  The  best  plan  is  to  prevent  encroach- 
ments and  widen  the  roadway  and  sidewalk  to  meet  the  set- 
back building  line  before  business  development  of  the  street 
warrants. 

Plainfield  Street.  On  this  street  traffic  converges  from 
Thornton-Hughesdale  and  Pocasset  avenue  lines.  A  short 
contraction  exists  from  Latham  street  to  Pocasset  avenue, 
which  should  be  removed  by  widening  to  the  standard  60  foot 
width  of  Plainfield  street  as  it  leaves  Olneyville  Square.  This 
would  peniTit  double-tracking  as  far  as  the  junction  of  Pocas- 
set avenue,  wliicli  is  now  rc(iuired. 


Strekt  Widths. 

The  determination  of  the  most  economical  width  for  thor- 
oughfares  designed    for   either   vehicles   or    street   car   traffic 

145 


Report  ox  Tkactkkv  Improvement. 


involves  not  only  the  actual  width  of  vehicles  plus  a  reason- 
able side  clearance,  but  also  the  relative  amount  and  char- 
acter of  vehicle  traffic.  Thus,  it  occurs  that  a  narrow  street 
with  car  lines  is  much  less  congested  where  only  light  or 
rapidly  moving  vehicles  pass,  than  a  street  of  the  same  width 
in  the  w^holesale  district  where  heavy  slow  moving  vehicles 
predominate. 

Furthermore,  a  street  that  will  accommodate  conveniently 
four  lines  of  traffic  on  the  tangent  will  be  cramped  at  inter- 
sections, due  to  the  overhang  of  front  and  rear  platforms  of 
cars,  and  this,  again,  varies  in  importance  according  to  the 
locality.  For  a  street  outside  of  the  business  district,  e.  g., 
Broadway,  one  foot  clearance  between  vehicles  would  be  con- 
sidered of  ample  width,  even  though  the  clearance  would  be 
reduced  at  any  branch-offs  by  this  overhang;  that  is  to  say, 
the  comparative  infrequency  of  interference  at  branch-oflf 
lines  on  such  a  street  as  Broadway  would  make  it  unneces- 
sary to  lay  out  the  street  width  for  full  clearance  at  curves. 
On  the  other  hand,  Westminster  street  being  practically  full 
of  vehicles,  should  theoretically  be  wide  enough  to  clear  them. 
even  with  the  cars  passing  around  curves.  But.  unfortunately, 
this  is  the  case  in  but  few  of  the  down-town  streets. 

It  also  occurs  that  there  is  a  certain  range  of  width  of 
roadway  which  will  accommodate  the  maximum'  traffic,  and 
by  reducing  the  sidewalk  width  a  little  an  additional  line  of 
traffic  could  l)e  accommodated.  Here,  the  City  must  sacrihce 
its  standards  to  expediency. 

Xumercus  iiK-asurements  shown  in  b'ig.  14  indicate  that 
the  majority  of  vehicles  average  7  feet  in  width  or  under. 
Srime  vehicles,  however,  exceed  <S  feet,  such  as  certain  types 


i4r, 


1 


TdWimtiM  ;WtDThS;Qf^  :rY«At:VE^ii€tt]ii 


100 


6.5       7.0         75        80 
WIDTH  IN  FEET.  ON  HUB5 

FIGURE  14— VEHICLE  WIDTHS. 
Comprising  results  of  a  large  number  of  observations  of  vehicles 
found  on  the  down-town  streets.  About  half  of  the  number  were 
7  ft.  on  width  over  hubs.  The  largest  vehicle  was  8'-4"  wide. 
The  mean  width.  7  ft.,  has  been  taken  into  consideration  in  all 
studies  in  this  report. 

147 


Report  ox  Tractiox  Improvemext. 


of  low  gears,  brewery  wagons,  etc.  Taking  7  feet  as  a  standard 
vehicle,  the  width  of  roadway  necessary  for  three-line  traf- 
fic, one  a  car  line,  is  23^  feet  minimum,  or  25 >4  feet 
with  12  inch  clearance  at  hubs.  But  35  feet  and  37  feet, 
respectively,  are  recjuired  for  clearance  with  cars  rounding 
curves.  Similarly  with  double  track,  a  four-line  street  re- 
quires 32^  feet  minimum  and  34^2  feet  clear,  and  six-line 
traffic  requires  46^  feet  minimum  and  503/  feet  in  the  clear. 
A  number  of  these  street  studies  are  shown  in  Plate  XIV, 
some  actual,  and  others  proposed. 

Thus,  a  standard  30-foot  street  is  impossible  to  use  for 
traction  purposes.  A  40- foot  street  with  24-foot  roadway 
will  barely  accommodate  one  car  line  and  two  lines  of  vehicles 
without  narrowing  sidewalks.  A  50-foot  street  and  30-foot 
roadway  will  accommodate  one  car  line  very  comfortably,  but 
not  two,  and  a  60-foot  street  is  just  suitable  for  double  tracks 
and  two  lines  of  vehicles.  Six-line  traffic,  the  most  efficient 
method  for  handling  large  volumes,  barely  comes  within  an 
80-foot  street  or  48-foot  roadway.  Obviously,  streets  as  nar- 
row as  40  feet  and  much  used,  should  also  have  only  one- 
way vehicle  traffic,  conforming  to  the  direction  of  car 
movement. 

On  account  of  the  absence  of  sufficiently  wide  streets  for 
double-tracking,  the  City  should  not  object  to  locating  single 
tracks  on  parallel  streets  so  as  to  avoid  the  delay  at  turnouts. 

Offset  Track.  In  case  street  widening  is  impracticable  and 
parallel  streets  are  unavailable,  offset  location  of  double  tracks 
offers  an  alternative  solution,  as  shown  in  the  case  of  Broad 
Street,  Plate  XIV,  thus  allowing  a  clear  roadway  at  the  side 
for   a   single    line   of   vehicles.      Thus,   a    50-foot   street    with 

148 


CO-OPKRATIVK    CiTV    PlAXXING. 


30-foot  roadway  will  easily  accommodate  three-line  traffic. 
This  may  have  to  be  resorted  to  on  outer  Smith  street  and 
Chalkstone  avenue.  I'or  a  residence  street  no  serious  objec- 
tion can  arise.  But  for  a  business  street  the  objection  of 
discrimination  in  the  matter  of  vehicles  standing  at  the  curb 
is  made.  One  of  these  alternatives  should  be  accepted.  If  a 
business  street,  the  removal  of  trees  should  not  be  a  vital 
objection,  and  if  a  residence  street,  offset  track  should  be 
acceptable. 


East  Side  Approach. 

This  has  been  discussed  in  general  terms  under  transporta- 
tion about  Providence.  The  pressing  need  of  such  an  im- 
provement cannot  be  too  strongly  emphasized  whatever  its 
particular  design  may  ultimately  be;  also  the  need  of  a  con- 
tinuously progressive  plan  of  extension  along  broad  lines, 
such  as  urged  in  the  report  of  the  East  Side  Approach 
Commission. 

There  are  now  only  three  alternatives:  First,  modification 
of  College  Hill  approach;  second,  skirting  the  hill  to  the 
south  via  South  Alain  street :  third,  to  the  north  via  North 
]\Iain  street.  Either  of  the  two  circuitous  routes  obviously 
represents  a  makeshift,  consuming  more  time  than  the  present 
College    Hill   approach. 

The  present  College  Hill  approach  should  be  permanently 
discarded  on  account  of  the  unavoidable  physical  obstruction 
of  a  14%  grade.  It  might  be  possible  by  slight  easements 
in  the  grades  of  the  various  streets,  to  operate  double  truck 


149 


Report  on  Traction  Impr(Wi:.mi:xt. 


cars  up  the  hill  without  the  use  of  the  present  counter-balance ; 
but  during  bad  weather  and  with  slippery  rails,  successful  and 
safe  operation  would  be  practically  impossible.  Track  brakes, 
It  is  true,  might  be  installed,  which  would  prevent  accidental 
descent,  but  sufficient  tractive  effort  in  ascending  cannot  be 
always  provided  without  the  present  counter-balance  system, 
and  the  delay  due  to  the  latter  is  serious  enough  to  at  once 
insure  its  discontinuance  in  favor  of  an  open  grade  street 
or  a  tunnel  approach. 

The  alternative  plans  that  have  been  presented  in  addition 
to  the  Freeman  plan  are  many,  but  generally  conform  to  the 
following  classifications : 

First,  a  traction  tunnel  directly  through  the  hill  from  Mar- 
ket Square  or  Post  Office  Square  to  emerge  at  street  level 
in  the  Thayer  street  valley,  either  at  Angell  street.  Water- 
man street,  Elm  street  or  I'^ones  alley. 

Second,  a  traction  tunnel  from  the  same  point  clear  through 
the  hill  to  Butler  avenue  or  Red  Bridge. 

Third,  an  extension  of  the  second  plan  by  means  of  an 
open-cut  thoroughfare  for  cars  only,  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Thayer  street  tunnel  along  Fones  alley  and  Aledwa}-  street 
to  the  Seekonk  River,  tracks  being  depressed,  in  a  manner 
similar  to  the  Brighton  Beach  line  in  Brooklyn. 

Fourth,  an  easy  grade  street  from  Market  vSquare  or  Post 
Office  Square  to  the  hilltop  for  vehicles  and  pedestrians  only, 
the  adoption  of  which  would  in  no  way  benefit  the  traction 
situation  unless  made  available  for  cars. 

The  first  plan  is  simply  a  revival  of  the  i)lans  proposed 
by  the  railway  company  and  others  many   times   previously. 


t;o 


Co-opKRATivE  City  Planning. 


The  second  tunnel  scheme  parallels  the  present  railroad  tun- 
nel and  is  evidently  advocated  to  prevent  what  certain  resi- 
dents of  Prospect  Hill  term,  "Undesirable  encroachment." 

The  third  plan  eliminates  any  possibility  of  servins^  the 
East  Side  hill  district  with  the  improved  car  service  desired, 
unless  regraded  entrances  are  introduced  to  connect  Angell 
and  Waterman  streets  with  the  depressed  levels.  This  plan 
seems  to  be  devised  largely  for  heavy  suburban  traffic,  whereas 
a  more  direct  route  via  Washington  Bridge  exists  for  this 
traffic  than  would  be  presented  here. 

Any  reasonable  form  of  the  fourth  proposal  is  desirable 
from  a  standpoint  of  civic  improvement.  It  is  clear  that 
the  more  direct  it  is  the  more  effective  will  be  the  thorough- 
fare as  a  utility,  which  is  primarily  its  function. 

Up  to  this  time  none  of  the  tunnel  plans  have  seriously 
contemplated  vehicle  traffic.  An  enlargement  of  the  tunnel 
for  this  purpctse  would  probably  increase  the  cost  far  beyond 
the  present  Commission's  plans.  In  any  event,  it  may  be 
emphasized  that  a  tunnel  two-thirds  of  a  mile  in  length  is  un- 
desirable as  a  route  for  pedestrians  and  vehicles,  although 
entirely  suited  for  steam  or  electric  cars.  Furthermore,  such 
an  approach  would  most  promptly  develop  a  nucleus  of  a 
business  district  around  the  outlet,  which  is  so  much  feared 
by  the  residents  of  the  East  side.  On  the  other  hand,  an 
open  thoroughfare  traversing  all  of  the  north  and  south  streets 
operates  quite  the  opposite  as  a  distributing  instead  of  a  con- 
centrating medium. 

Any  reasonable  re-routing  scheme  for  the  East  Side  district 
does  not  necessarily  contemplate  the  use  of  the  East  Side 
approach  for  anything  else  than  the  lines  devoted  strictly  to 


i=;i 


Report  on  Traction  Improvement. 


tlie  development  of  the  Seekonk  district.  Unless  a  through 
tunnel  is  built,  Washington  Bridge,  by  virtue  of  its  location, 
will  continue  to  be  the  logical  approach  to  the  City  of  Provi- 
dence for  Riverside,  Crescent  Park,  Bristol,  and  Barrington 
lines,  and  Taunton  and  Fall  River  suburbans.  It  is  thus 
clear  that  the  East  side  approach  will  be  reserved  for  Brown, 
Camp,  Hope,  Governor,  Brook,  Elmgrove,  Swan  Point,  Phil- 
lipsdale,  Rumford,  Hunts  Mills,  and  similar  lines  reaching 
East  Providence  via  Red  Bridge.  As  pointed  out  elsewhere, 
the  upper  Seekonk  represents  the  most  favorable  short  haul 
district  for  immediate  development  in  the  entire  Providence 
territory,  and  there  is,  therefore,  little  logic  in  the  arguments 
advanced  that  the  new  approach  will  be  a  thoroughfare  for 
heavy  traffic  which  properly  should  not  be  routed  through  the 
residential  territory. 

If  some  form  of  approach  project,  either  open  grade  or 
tunnel  is  not  consummated  in  the  near  future,  there  is  little 
hope  of  improving  the  present  service  to  the  East  side  through 
the  two  circuitous  approaches  remaining.  The  actual  re- 
routing of  cars  is  a  very  simple  matter  with  any  reasonable 
form  of  direct  approach.  One  of  the  immediate  results  would 
be  the  replacement  of  single  truck  by  double  truck  cars  for 
the  important  lines. 

Shelters.  Proposals  have  been  made  from  time  to  time  for 
the  erection  of  adequate  waiting  stations  for  passengers"  at 
important  waiting  places,  such  as  Exchange  Place,  and  Olney- 
ville  Square,  and  it  is  understood  that  the  Rhode  Island  Com- 
pany has  offered  and  at^reed  to  co-operate  in  the  erection  of 
certain  shelters.  However,  all  the  plans  advanced  have  been 
rejected  either  on  the  score  of  inadequacy  or  through  the 
objections  of  some  citizens. 

152 


Co-operative  Citv  Planning. 


It  is  obviously  a  duty  of  the  City  authorities  or  a  properly 
constituted  City  Planning  Commission  to  evolve  an  adequate 
design  for  such  shelters  and  secure  their  erection.  With  the 
extension  of  the  transfer  privilege  such  shelters  will  become 
more  and  more  necessary  in  order  to  carry  out  most  effectively 
any  re-routing  plan  that  involves  heavy  transfer  traffic,  such 
as  express  lines  to  Olneyville  Square  and  East  Providence. 
In  fact,  the  success  of  the  Olneyville  plan  would  largely  de- 
pend upon  the  possibility  of  passengers,  when  transferring  at 
the  Square,  being  able  to  find  convenient  shelter  while  waiting 
for  their  particular  car  to  the  outlying  district. 

Trunk  Lines.  The  City  lacks  at  the  present  time  suitable 
trunk  lines  to  handle  express  service  to  the  suburbs.  In  the 
future  this  difficulty  will  be  greatly  accentuated.  It  is,  there- 
fore, very  necessary  as  a  function  of  the  City  Planning  author- 
ities to  search  out  and  provide  such  thoroughfares  for  express 
service  as  distinctly  separated  as  possible  from  thoroughfares 
devoted  to  local  traffic. 


Studies  ix  City    1'lan.ning. 

Vehicle  traffic  counts  should  be  conducted  at  all  the  im- 
portant street  intersections  in  the  congested  district,  showing 
by  means  of  scale  diagrams  such  as  on  Fig.  15.  the  relative 
traffic  flow  at  these  points  in  all  directions ;  these  traffic 
counts  to  be  conducted  over  a  considerable  period  of  time  at 
various  seasons  of  the  year,  and  under  various  conditions  of 
maximum  congestion.  These  diagrams  will  then  show  ac- 
curately the  relative  desirability  of  the  various  thoroughfares 
for  vehicle  traffic,  and  enable  the  more  accurate  assignment 


HICUES       I 

ALL  VEHICLES  INCLUDING  CARS 


GRANT  BLVD. 


AUTOMOBILES   INBOUND 


TYPICAL  DlAGRAtVlS  SHOWING  VEHICLE  TRAFFIC 
MOVEMENT  AT  IMPORTANT  STREET  INTERSECTIONS 
IN  PITTSBURGH. 

i-ir;rRK  i.-,— ivpical  diagrams  of  vrhtci.i-:  tkai-fic. 

K(.'I)n_-s(.'ntiii<;  the  results  of  (lijservations  of  vehicle  moveinent  at 
iniporiant  street  intersections  in  Pittslnir<rh  from  tlie  Ohnsted  Report 
to  the  Pittshiirgh  Civic  Commission.  Relative  widths  indicate  \ohmic 
')f  traffic.       .Arrows  indicate  direction  of  flow. 

T54 


Co-operative  City  Planning. 


of  the  car  trafific  to  these  same  thoroughfares  than  would  be 
possible  from  any  study  of  car  traffic  alone. 

Automobile  traffic  flow  should  be  studied  in  the  same  general 
manner  to  indicate  the  preference  of  drivers  for  certain  streets, 
this  study  having  the  same  object  as  above.  These  studies 
will  then  furnish  a  basis  for  defining  accurately  the  necessity 
for  one-way  streets  for  both  vehicles  and  railways.  X'ehicle 
counts  should  include  the  study  of  the  approximate  char- 
acter and  tonnage  of  this  traffic  on  the  main  down-town 
thoroughfares. 

The  economical  width  of  thoroughfares  is  a  subject  requir- 
ing detailed  and  careful  investigation  with  respect  to  char- 
acter of  occupancy,  realty  valuation,  necessary  width  of  side- 
walks, property  line  encroachments,  etc.  Occasions  may  arise 
in  which  the  City  could  provide  alternative  thoroughfares  to 
better  advantage  than  to  extensively  remodel  an  existing  one. 
A  profile  model  of  the  district  should  be  prepared  from 
contour  section  maps  already  available  on  large  scale. 

A  grade  map  of  the  district  should  be  prepared,  showing, 
eliminated  by  means  of  shading,  those  waste  areas  in  which 
the  maximum  grade  exists,  as,  for  example,  i6  2-2,'7c  for 
vehicle  traffic  and  25%   for  residential   purposes. 

A  map  showing  the  character  of  occupancy  of  the  district 
proper  would  be  of  great  value,  giving  the  location  of  impor- 
tant industries  wih  approximate  number  of  employees ;  and 
showing  by  means  of  a  code  the  general  character  of  the 
property,  such  as  manufacturing,  wholesale,  retail,  and  traffic 
centers  such  as  theatres,  halls,  parks,  pleasure  resorts,  and 
athletic  fields,  and  finally,  the  rural  and  residential  districts, 
with  the  necessary  ethnological  data. 


Section  II. 

REROUTING  AND  SERVICE  REDISTRIBUTION. 


Synopsis:  Necessity  for  co-operative  plan,  doivn-town  streets. 
Public  record  of  operations.  General  principles. 
Loop  routes.  Street  capacities.  Alternative  plan 
for  relief  of  dozvn-toivn  streets.  Service  redistribu- 
tion on  outlying  streets.  Records.  Trip  counts. 
Haul.  Stops.  Headway.  Through  routes.  Dead 
mileage.  Specific  recommendations.  Trackage  and 
service. 

The  development  of  a  satisfactory  plan  for  re-routing  is 
perhaps  the  most  difficult  problem  arising  in  the  present  in- 
vestigation. Mt  is  a  fact  borne  out  by  experience  that  no  fixed 
plan  can  be  evolved  by  any  one  man  or  organization,  that 
will  prove  satisfactory  to  all  parties  concerned.  Re-routing 
affects  so  seriously  the  interests'  of  so  many  separate  localities 
that  it  becomes  a  matter  for  arbitration  rather  than  of  in- 
dividual judgment.^Providence  is  no  exception  and  the  most 
that  this  report  can  hope  to  accomplish  is  the  submission  of 
possible  alternative  plans  combining  the  best  features  of  those 
proposed  and  approaching  nearest  to  the  ideal.  By  process 
of  elimination,  the  final  plan  must  then  be  gradually  developed 
after  numerous  conferences  and  hearings  thereon.  But  the 
main  point  of  value  is  that  improvements  are  possible  by  any 
of  several  plans  submitted. 


Rkport  ox  Traction  Imfro\"i:mext. 


Two  distinct  problems  are  involved  in  the  execution  of  such 
a  plan,  first,  relief  of  the  main  thoroughfares  of  the  loading 
district,  and  second,  improved  distribution  in  service  over  the 
outlying  lines.  Supplementing  the  latter,  a  study  of  routes 
differing  from  those  at  present  in  use  or  representing  an  ex- 
tension of  them  is  desirable  as  a  provision  for  future  develop- 
ment. And,  in  this  connection  some  system  should  be  used 
for  maintaining  a  public  record  of  schedules,  delays,  and  ac- 
cidents so  that  the  causes  of  obstruction  could  be  more  intel- 
ligently discussed  and  the  service  improved  by  their  removal. 


REROUTING  IN  THE  TERMINAL 
LOADING  DISTRICT. 

The  down-town  loading  district  extends  from  ^Market 
Square  on  the  east  to  Cathedral  Square  and  even  to  Hoyle 
Square  on  the  west,  and  from  Union  Station  to  the  river  in 
the  other  direction.  Given  a  limited  number  of  streets,  the 
first  problem  resolves  itself  into  re-grouping  the  various  lines 
so  as  to  utilize  these  various  streets  more  uniformly  and 
effectively  according  to  their  respective  usage  and  wi<lths  of 
available  roadway.  Any  such  theoretical  arrangement  then 
must  be  modified  to  some  extent  in  order  to  avoid  departing 
too  far  from  such  important  ])oints  as  the  Civic  Center,  the 
railroad  station,  and  the  shopping  streets. 

First,  the  car  capacity  of  streets  and  crossings  must  be 
determined  in  terms  of  maxinntm  car  transits  per  hour  per- 

158 


Reroutixg  and  Skrvick  Redistribution. 

missible  under  the  conditions.  Here  the  relative  width  of 
roadways  and  volume  of  pedestrian  and  vehicle  trafific  must 
be  duly  considered.  The  minimum  car  interval  may  be  de- 
termined as  equal  to  the  average  loading  time,  taking  ad- 
vantage of  multiple  car  loading  at  necessary  points. 
-  Next,  the  most  desirable  loops  for  both  City  and  suburban 
routes  are  to  be  selected,  reserving  those  streets  best  suited 
to  the  particular  class  of  service  desired  or  for  the  cars  from 
particular  districts  that  ma\  be  most  logically  routed  over 
them. 

Finally,  the  relative  assignment  of  through  routes  and  loop 
routes  for  City  lines  must  be  made.  This  involves  segregating 
those  long  haul  lines  which  would  not  be  well  suited  for 
through  route  operation,  and  finally,  the  connecting  up  of 
short  haul  lines  on  opposite  sides  of  the  City  having  equal  or 
multiple  headway  so  as  to  secure  the  most  direct  routes 
through  the  business  district.  And  care  must  be  taken  to 
properly  serve  certain  communities  of  interest  on  opposite 
sides  of  the  city  with  the  through  service  demanded. 

For  the  present  it  must  be  assumed  that  the  existing  route 
destinations  are  satisfactory  and  therefore  the  analysis  will 
be  confined  to  devising  more  suitable  routings  through  the 
loading  district.  The  larger  problem  of  rearranging  these 
existing  routes  as  to  their  destination  is  one  which  can  hardly 
be  attempted  in  its  entirety  without  the  assistance  of  extended 
co-operation  and  conference  between  representatives  of  the 
Company  and  the  districts  affected.  Certain  evident  modifica- 
tions, however,  may  be  suggested  at  this  time  with  propriety. 


^SO 


Rkport  ox  Traction  Improve.mi:n'i". 


General  Principles  of  Terminal  Rol'ting. 

Long  haul  routes  are  best  suited  to  looping  at  central 
terminals. 

Short  haul  routes  having  equal  or  multiple  headway  may 
be  connected  so  as  to  secure  the  most  direct  route  through  the 
City. 

Long  haul  suburban  lines  should  use  the  shortest  possible 
outlying  loops,  i.  e.,  just  outside  the  congested  centre  to  avoid 
the  delays  in  traversing  the  congested  district. 

Short  haul  loop  lines  should  use  the  loops  which  pass 
through  or  around  the  retail  district,  distributing  the  loading 
as  much  as  possible. 

Permit  only  straight-away  crossings  instead  of  branch-offs 
at  seriously  congested  street  intersections  such  as  Westminster 
and  Mathewson  streets. 

Use  no  transverse  street  to  close  a  loop  that  has  not  suf- 
ficient capacity  for  absorbing  a  five  minute  accumulation  of 
cars  without  interfering  with  traffic  on  main  intersecting 
streets,  e.  g.,  Mathewson,  Westminster  to  Weybosset  streets. 

Branch-olT  in  the  direction  of  flow.  i.  c.,  to  the  right  on  out- 
bound track,  not  to  the  left  against  the  flow  of  inbound  tracks. 

Avoid  crossed  or  figure  eight  loops ;  keep  the  throat  open  if 
possible. 

Avoid  counterflow  operations  at  all  junctions  of  single  track 
with  main  lines,  e.  g.,  Constitution  Hill  and  Richmond  Street. 

Double  track  on  parallel  or  alternative  streets  on  lines  of 
heavy  traffic,  at  least  outside  of  the  loading  district. 


t6o 


Rerouting  and  Service  Redistributiox. 

Provide  independent  routes  for  single  track  lines  except  all 
cars  moving  in  one  direction. 

Determine  the  ultimate  capacity  of  present  streets  in  order 
to  plan  for  the  creation  of  new  ones  as  needed  in  the  future. 

Outlying  communities  of  interest  should  receive  consider- 
ation in  locating  through  routes. j  , 

Business  and  private  interests  must  not  be  allowed  to  unduly  •} 
influence  the  assignment  of  routings  to  specified  streets  where  j, 
manifestly  improper  for  the  most  effective  and  direct  operation. 

A  walk  of  one  block  from  any  point  to  a  desired  car  line  is 
to  be  considered  within  the  bounds  of  good  service  for  any 
business  house  if  this  distance  is  necessary  for  an  adequate 
re-routing  scheme.  ^^ 

^n  East  Side  approach,  either  open  grade  street  or  tunnel 
should  be  embodied  in  any  new  plan  for  present  or  future  re- 
routing. 

A  one-way  Exchange  Place  Loop  completely  encircling  the 
Plaza  should  be  used  to  relieve  the  Union  Station  loop  and 
lines  now  diverted  via  Dorrance  street ;  unloading  taking  place 
at  the  western  extremity  and  loading,  along  the  south  Exchange 
Place  tangent. 

Loop  Routes.  In  a  city  provided  with  the  necessary  thor- 
oughfares it  is  desirable  to  separate  the  terminals  of  the  long 
haul  from  those  of  the  short  haul  traffic  in  order  to  decrease 
the  long  haul  running  time.  This  can  be  done  by  means  of  a 
long  and  short  loop  system.  Long  haul  passengers  will  walk 
considerably  further  away  from  the  centers  to  the  nearest  load- 
ing point  if  some  running  time  to  the  suburbs  is  saved.  On  the 
other  hand,  short  haul  passengers  are  best  accommodated  by 
loops  carried  around  or  through  the  retail  centers.     Further, 

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162 


Rerouting  and  StfRvicE  Redistribution. 

the  separation  of  the  two  loop  systems  will  automatically  tend 
to  segregate  the  long  haul  and  short  haul  traffic  as  is  needed 
in  order  to  reserve  the  necessary  through  seats  for  the  suburban 
passengers. 

But  in  Providence  this  system  is  difficult  of  execution  as  few 
streets  are  available.  The  only  examples  of  outlying  terminals 
at  present  in  operation  are  the  Riverpoint  express  loop  via 
Winter,  Washington  and  Mathewson  and  the  suburbans  dead 
ending  at  Market  Square.  In  a  similar  manner  the  Washing- 
ton Park  express  via  Eddy  street  might  short  loop  via  Wey- 
bosset  and  Richmond  streets  instead  of  crossing  the  business 
district  twice  as  at  present.  It  is  apparent  that  in  order  to 
carry  out  a  system  of  this  kind,  fairly  wide  streets  should  be 
available.  IMathewson  street  is  much  too  narrow,  and  if  a 
wider  transverse  street  cannot  be  created  then  it  will  become 
necessary  to  concentrate  most  of  the  looping  at  Exchange  Place. 
In  fact,  the  Exchange  Place  loop  may  become  so  popular  that 
outside  short  loops  will  not  be  in  great  demand. 

Relative  Street  Capacities.  To  provide  a  clear  track  through 
the  loading  district  cars  must  not  be  spaced  closer  than  w-ill 
enable  them  to  reach  the  next  stop  while  the  .car  following  is 
loading,  i.  e.,  the  headway  should  not  be  less  than  the  average 
time  of  loading.  Observations  at  Dorrance  street.  Fig.  i6. 
show  that  cars  passed  in  one  direction  during  the  rush  hour 
at  an  average  headway  of  forty  seconds  and  required  13J/2 
seconds  per  stop  (see  table  15).  However,  the  minimum  head- 
way was  frequently  less  and  the  delay  in  loading  greater  so  that 
congestion  occurred.  At  various  other  loading  points  down- 
town the  average  time  observed  per  stop  was  8.7  seconds.     If 

163 


Report  ox  Traction*  Improvk.mext. 


we  allow  ten  seconds  per  stop  throughout  the  loading  district, 
the  distribution  of  cars  should  be  as  follows: 

Average  speed  X umber  cars  Maximum  cars 

between  stops  per  260'  block  per  hour 

4.5  miles  per  hr.  4  72 

6  3  90 

9  2  120 

For  a  reasonable  speed  it  is  evident  that  an  effort  should  be 
made  to  reduce  the  car  flow  per  hour  in  the  loading  district 
well  below  100  cars  per  hour  under  the  best  possible  condition 
of  street  traffic.  At  present  the  rate  is  as  high  as  133  cars  per 
hour  on  W'eybosset.  inbound  no  on  Westminster  street  and 
67  on  Mathewson.  Plate  XV  gives  a  general  impression  of 
the  actual  car  flow  on  various  streets. 

Considering  now  the  available  roadway  we  find  that  the 
street  capacities  vary  widely. 


Width  in 

Lines 

of 

(7  ft 

.  vehicles) 

Feet 

Vehicles 

Xet 

Clearance 

Street 

Street 

Roadway 

Cars 

Wheel 

E 

ach  side 

Dorrance 

(54 

158 

0 

•) 

|;2" 

Broad 

(56 

;>6 

2 

•> 

19" 

Broad  and  Chestnut 

f)2 

:i2 

2 

2 

Xone 

Wasliington 

60 

41 

2 

2 

50" 

Weybosset 

50 

24 

1 

•) 

4W 

Westminster 

4S 

24 

1 

•> 

\^k- 

Mathewson 

40 

21-22 

I 

2 

Xone 

Broadway 

80 

50 

2 

4 

20" 

Friendship 

40 

22 

1 

•) 

Xone 

Richmond 

45 

26 

1 

0 

!()" 

I-'ountain 

50 

2.S-2!)-30 

1 

2 

:{4" 

Chestnut 

40 

2:! 

1 

•■> 

Xone 

In  view  of  these  results  it  occurs  that  the  relative  street 
capacities  for  surface  cars  as  determined  upon  must  be  modified 
by  the  width  and  vehicle  traffic.     For  example,  Westminster 

164 


Rkroutixc;  and  Si:rvice  Rkdistriul'tiox. 

street  cannot  handle  more  than  two-thirds  the  cars  per  hour 
as  Washington  or  Dorrance  streets  inbound  or  outbound  and 
Mathewson  barely  one-half  the  number.  Fountain  street,  on 
the  other  hand,  will  handle  conveniently  as  many  or  more 
cars  than  Dorrance  street.  To  bring  this  out  more  graphically, 
Plate  X\'I  has  been  prepared  which  shows  the  relative  car 
congestion  on  various  streets  reduced  to  a  basis  of  roadway 
width. 

Analysis  of  Rerouting  Plans  for  Loading  District. 

All  four  plans  as  shown  in  detail  in  the  accompanying  Plate 
17,  A,  B,  C,  D.  embody  the  following  improvements:  East 
Side  approach  from  Exchange  Place  terminal  loop.  Friend- 
ship street  extension  to  Dorrance,  Claverick  street  connection 
to  Bassett.  I-'enner  street  connection  to  Broad,  Washington 
Row  connection  to  East  Side  approach.  Destination  of  present 
car  lines  unchanged. 

Plan  A.  Tentative  plan  submitted  by  Company  to  accom- 
plish immediate  relief. 

Prairie  avenue  and  Ocean  street  cars  outl)oun(l  via  Dor- 
rance, Weybosset,  Chestnut,  Friendship  and  Claverick  streets. 
This  gives  a  double  track  (excepting  one  block  of  four  hundred 
feet  on  Friendship  street)  route  from  Market  Scjuare  to  the 
corner  of  Point  and  Plain  streets  and  individual  single  track 
beyond. 

Inbound  cars  via  Friendship,  Dorrance,  Weybosset  streets 
and  \\'ashington  Row  to  East  Side  approach. 

Eddy  street  cars  inbound  via  Dorrance  street,  outbinnul  via 
Weybosset  and  Richmond  streets,  looping  around  Narragansett 
Hotel. 

Fenner   street,  north-bound   only,   used   for   routing  River- 

iC^5 


PRESENT   PLAN 


PLAN-A 


PLAN-D 


REROUTING   PLANS  FOR  SOUTH  PROVIDENCE  CARS 

FRIENDSHIP,  PRAIRIE,  OCEAN,  AND  EDDY  STREET. 


FIGL-RF   n— REROUTING   PLANS   FOR  THE  TERMTNAT. 

DISTRICT. 
These  diagrams  show  directions  of  routing  under  the  present  and 
proposetl  plans  for  reheving  the  street  congestion  in  the  down-town 
district. 
Figure  17  A — Plan  Proposed  by  Rhode  Island  Company. 
Figure  17  R — Proposed   Plan   Based  on   Ideal   Car  Redistribution. 
Figure  17  C— 17  B  Modified  to  Better  Reach  the  Retail  District. 
Figure  17  D — Proposed  Plan  Combining  17  .\  and   17  C. 

i66 


PLAN -A 

FIGURES    INDICATE  CARS    P«R   HOUR,   ROSM   MOWR,  AT 


^ifs 


^rj. 


§?». 


.       II' 


^> 


FIGURE  ir-A 

Plan  proposed  try  Rhode  Island  Company. 

167 


Report  on  Traction  Improvkment. 


lioint.  East  Greenwich  and  numerous  ]>road  street.  Edge  wood 
and  F'awtuxet  extras  to^  Washington  street,  loo])ing  around  City 
Hall. 

The  Riverpoint  cars  now  run  through  Winter  street,  the 
other  lines  directly  down  Weybosset  street,  but  owing  to  the 
present  slow  operation  down  Westminster  and  Weybosset 
streets,  the  Fenner  street  track  would  reduce  the  running  time 
to  center  of  City  materially. 

The  Fenner  and  Friendship  extensions  would  remove  35  to 
40  cars  from  Weybosset  street  which  is  the  most  congested 
point. 

Cranston  cars  cnitbound  via  Westminster  street.  inlx)und  via 
Weybosset  street,  all  looping  around  Turks  Head,  except 
through  routes,  and  the  Oaklawn  line  inbound  which  wouUl 
run  via  Washington  street. 

All  Olneyville  and  Mt.  Pleasant  cars  outbound  via  Wash- 
ington street,  Governor- Brook-Plainfield  street  line  from  East 
Side,  crossing  through  Canal  street  to  Exchange  I'lacc  and 
Washington  street. 

All  Elmw^ood  cars  outbound  via  Westminster,  Mathewson 
and  \\'eybosset  streets,  inbound  via  Weybosset  street. 

Lines  at  present  dead-ending  at  Market  Square  loop  around 
Exchange  Place ;  also  Riverside,  Warren  &  Bristol  lines. 

Pawtucket  lines  loop  around  Exchange  Place. 

IJroad  street  lines  loop  at  Union  Depot  as  at  present. 

This  plan  (A)  allows  passengers  from  sections  of  the  City 
covered  by  several  lines  to  board  any  of  these  lines  (outbound) 
at  the  same  point. 

Plan  B.  Designed  as  an  ideal  distribution  of  cars  accord- 
ing to  street  capacity.  Embodies  in  addition  to  the  above, 
I-'uuntain   street   loop   with    doul)lc   track   on    Aborn.      i'enner 

ir,8 


PLAN-B 


FIGURES   iMDICATE    CARS  PtR  HOUR,  Rl«M  HOUR ,  AT 
PRESENT    AND   AS   PROPOSED. 
AS   PROPOSED   in    PARENTHESES 


FIGURE   17-B 

Proposed    plan    based    on     Ideal    Car    Redistribution. 

169 


Report  ox  Traction  Improvement. 


and  Beacon  streets  southbound.  Direction  of  operation  on 
Franklin  and  Jackson  streets  reversed.  Olneyville  and  Mt. 
Pleasant  cars,  express  and  interurban  via  Fountain  street  loop, 
locals  via  Washington  street.  Flnnvood  cars  mostly  via  Wey- 
bosset  street.  South  Providence  cars  outbound  via  Washing- 
ton, Fenner  and  Beacon  streets  inbound  via  Friendship,  Dor- 
rance  and  Weybosset  streets.  Cranston  cars  outbound  via 
Westminster,  inbound  via  Weybosset  street.  Broad  street 
cars  loop  at  Union  Station.  Pawtucket  cars  loop  at  Exchange 
Place.  Attleboro  and  Woonsocket  cars  loop  at  Board  of  Trade. 
Riverside  cars  via  Westminster,  Dorrance  and  Exchange  loop. 
Taunton  and  Fall  River  cars  dead-end  at  Market  Square. 
Centerdale  via  Smith  dead-end  at  Francis  street  under  Union 
Station. 

This  plan  makes  Friendship,  Prairie  Avenue  and  Ocean 
street,  one-way  lines  north  of  Hayward  Park,  relieving  all 
counter-operation  on  Friendship  street.  It  carries  the  majority 
of  Westminster  street  traffic  through  to  Cathedral  Square 
before  diverting  southv^^ard  to  Broad  Street ;  relieves  Mathew- 
son  street  of  cross-traffic  except  through-traffic  from  Washing- 
ton to  Weybosset  streets;  establishes  outlying  short  loop  ter- 
minals for  express  and  interurbans;  utilizes  Union  Station 
loop  for  Broad  street  traffic  and  Exchange  Place  loop  for 
Pawtucket  and  for  long  haul  cars  from  south  and  southwest. 

Plan  C.  Modification  of  plan  B,  so  as  to  bring  more  local 
cars  and  the  outlying  terminals  of  plan  B  through  or  nearer 
to  the  retail  district.  Attleboro  and  Woonsocket  cars  loop  at 
Exchange  Place.  Broadway  locals  use  outer  loop  via  Jackson, 
Weybosset,  Dorrance,  Washington  and  Aborn  streets.  Taun- 
ton, Fall  River  and  Riverside  cars  loop  via  Westminster,  Dor- 


170 


FIGURE  17-C 

17-B    :\Ioclihed    to    1)etter    reach    the    Retail    Districts. 

I/I 


Rkf'drt  ox  Traction  Lmprovr.ment. 


ranee,   South   Exehan^'e    Place  and   Canal   street.     Centerdale 
via  Smith  street  cars  loo])  around  Kxchani^e  I 'lace. 

Plan  D.  Further  modification  of  plan  B  routing  South 
Providence  cars  southbound  via  Richmond  and  Chestnut 
streets  instead  of  counter-operation  on  Friendship  street  as  in 
short  stretch  of  counter-operation  on  Friendship  Street  as  in 
Plan  A.  Friendship  street  cars  only  outbound  via  Westminster 
and  Mathewson  streets ;  all  others  via  Washington  and 
Mathewson  streets. 

Fenner  and  Jackson  streets  used  northbound  only  for  ex- 
presses and  extras  as  in  plan  A.  Broadway  locals  loop  through 
Washington,  Mathewson,  Weybosset  and  Dorrance  streets  in- 
stead of  Jackson  street. 

Mathewson  Street  could  be  further  relieved  by  routing 
Friendship  street  cars  outbound  via  Dorrance  and  Weybosset. 
leaving  thereon  only  26  cars  from  Washington  to  Weybosset 
streets. 

If  Fenner  street  were  dcjuble  tracked,  routins:^  Auburn  and 
Eden  Park  cars  outbound  thereon  would  remove  12  more  cars 
from  Mathewson  street. 

It  will  be  observed  from  Table  16,  that  any  one  of  the  four 
plans  submitted  is  superior  to  the  present  plan  of  operation  in 
respect  to  the  distribution  of  car  flow.  Plan  A  is  a  great  im- 
provement, l)Ut  Ijurdens  .Mathewson  street  and  does  not  con- 
tcmj)late  the  use  of  bY'nner  street  as  an  outlet  from  West- 
minster street.  The  ideal  Plan  B  is  perhaps  too  radical  for 
the  present,  but  plan  C  certainly  should  prove  acceptable.  Plan 
D  is  less  desirable. 

These  various  plans,  therefore,  are  presented  for  public  dis- 
cussion.   One  of  them  should  be  adopted  or  else  a  combination 


172 


'^A 

^ 

PLAN-D 

\ 

FIGURES    INDICATE    CARS 

PER  HOUR,  ROSM  H00n,*T                   ^ 

PRESENT    AMD   AS   PROPOSED 

\ 

AS  PROPOSED   in  PARENTHESES. 

\ 

i 

^ 

X 

=^ /X           m . 

\ 

''^S:/(i 

\ 

^c^s^^^i 

\ 

\ 

\ 

ills 

\ 

\ 

\ 

£//^ 

1/ 

n 

/o 

/-« 

♦/- 

11 

12 

^*-ss ^ 

/  ABORN 

^'                1 

1         I 

4/^ 

r                  ^ 

r,>i^ 

11                   In 

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=^5«„ 


5£? 


"^5fc<. 


*Viv«- 


FIGURE  17-D 
Proposed    plan    combining    17-.\    and    17-C. 

173 


Report  on  Traction  Improvemext. 


plan,  but  not  one  so  greatly  modified  as  to  practically  revert  to 
the  present  conditions.  Here  at  least  is  a  starting  point  demon- 
strating that  great  improvement  is  possible. 

Emergency  Routing.  It  is  essential  that  the  City  permit 
tracks  to  be  laid  in  certain  down-town  streets  for  the  sole  pur- 
pose of  emergency  routing,  w^hatever  the  necessity  for  or  ob- 
jection to  such  occupancy  for  regular  operation.  The  com- 
plete disorganization  of  the  present  traction  service  by  a  fire, 
parade  or  other  emergency  should  be  a  sufficient  reason  for 
the  permission  of  such  supplementary  trackage.  For  the  most 
part,  a  few  short  connections  between  existing  lines  will  suf- 
fice, and  with  grooved  rail  and  tracks  properly  laid  no  serious 
objection  should  arise  on  the  score  of  unnecessary  pavement 
disturbance. 

Such  an  emergency  connection,  for  example,  is  needed  on 
Eddy  street  from  Dyer  to  Friendship  streets,  allowing  inbound 
Eddy  street  cars  to  avoid  any  obstructions  along  east  Dor- 
rance  or  Dyer  streets.  With  Richmond  street,  sufficient  double 
track  would  be  available  to  clear  the  most  congested  section  of 
the  regular  Eddy  street  route.  Fountain  street  and  Fenner 
street  will  also  be  of  great  value  in  emergency  routing. 

Exchange  Place.  In  planning  this  important  loop  the  City 
should  entertain  no  apprehensions  in  granting  an  adequate  sys- 
tem of  track  and  special  work.  Nothing  will  be  gained  by 
limiting  to  a  single  track  loop.  First,  loop  cars  inbound  from 
North  Main  street  should  clear  the  Washington  street  tracks 
as  soon  after  passing  the  Post  Office  as  possible  which  will 
necessitate  a  third  parallel  track  on  north  Exchange  Place. 
Second,  two  or  three  unloading  curves  should  be  installed  at 
the  west  end  of  the  loop  to  discharge  passengers  as  near  to  the 


174 


Rerouting  and  Service  Redistribution. 

Dorrance  street  entrance  as  possible.  Third,  two  tracks  should 
be  laid  on  south  Exchange  Place,  the  outside  for  local  cars  Tun- 
ing through  without  layover  and  the  inside  for  accommodating 
several  interurban  cars  which  require  a  short  layover.  In  the 
absence  of  a  suitable:  shelter  or  waiting  room,  passengers  ar- 
riving early  will  find  these  interurbans  standing  in  a  convenient 
position  while  not  obstructing  street  traffic  as  would  be  the 
case  were  they  standing  upon  the  curves  at  the  west  end. 
These  extra  curves  will  be  of  maximum  advantage  during  rush 
hours  in  permitting  late  cars  to  forge  ahead  and  regain  sched- 
ules. Fourth,  the  two  sides  of  the  loop  should  be  connected 
opposite  Exchange  street  and  entrance  curves  installed  at 
Dorrance  and  Francis  streets  to  permit  the  loop  to  be  used  by 
cars  from  the  West  Side  or  other  districts.  Fifth,  the  southerly 
track  should  extend  straight  through  to  Washington  Row.  there 
connecting  with  both  Canal  street  and  Steeple  street  tracks. 
A  supplementary  connection  in  Washington  Row  is  needed  to 
enable  through  routes  passing  Turks  Head  to  reach  the  East 
Side  approach  conveniently.  This  will  avoid  the  necessity  of 
using  either  Exchange  street  from  which  tracks  have  been 
removed  or  Dorrance  street. 


REDISTRIBUTION  OF   SERVICE  IN  THE 
OUTLYING   DISTRICT. 

Leaving  the  terminal  district,  the  problem  of  service  redis- 
tribution outside,  resolves  itself  into  certain  basic  questions, 
considered  for  each  of  the  55  individual  routes.  Assuming  an 
increase  of  1,622.000  car  miles  per  year  to  be  distributed  equi- 

175 


Report  on  Traction  Improvement. 


tably  over  the  system,  as  developed  in  a  former  chapter, 
answers  to  these  questions  should  be  developed  ultimately  in 
one  or  all  of  the  following  forms : 

Is  day  or  rush  hour  service  deticient,  or  both? 

Are  more  cars  needed  or  will  faster  schedules  suffice? 

Should  present  runs  be  extended? 

Is  present  day  headway  sufficient  or  should  it  be  reduced  ? 

Will  short  haul  extras  relieve  long  haul  cars? 

Will  a  split  headway  or  "double-header"  trippers  best  serve 
rush  hour  load  ? 

Are  limited-stop  expresses  necessary  to  reserve  sufficient 
long  haul  seats? 

Should  express  stops  be  limited  during  rush  hours  only? 

What  track  modifications  are  necessary  to  avoid  delays? 

Do  earnings  and  passengers  per  seat  mile  indicate  need  of 
service  improvement  ? 

Are  seasonal  variations  properly  provided  for? 

It  will  be  obvious  that  extended  observation  over  a  con- 
siderable period  of  time  is  necessary  to  reach  a  conclusive 
answer  on  many  of  these  questions.  This  report  can  only 
outline  the  methods  to  be  used.  Upon  the  operating  organiza- 
tion must  fall  the  task  of  reorganizing  services  where  such 
observations  indicate  the  necessity. 

Yearly  Route  Records.  An  exact  idea  of  the  comparative 
importance  of  the  various  routes  as  operated  in  1910  may  best 
be  had  from  a  study  of  Plate  X\TI,  which  shows  for  each 
route  by  the  height  of  the  block  the  following: 

1.  Passenger  earnings. 

2.  Total  passengers  carried  including  transfers. 

3.  Relative  importance  of  transfer  traffic. 


176 


Rerouting  a.\u  Service  Redistributiox. 


4.  Ratio-earnings  per  standard  car  mile. 

5.  Ratio-total  passengers  per  car  mile. 

Owing  to  the  use  of  cars  of  different  seating  capacity  the 
two  car-mile  ratios  have  been  reduced  to  a  seat-mile  basis  by 
converting  the  actual  car-mile  records  into  those  for  a  standard 
42-seat  car.  On  this  basis,  all  routes  are  comparable  and  those 
of  poor  earning  capacity  are  easily  distinguishable  from  the 
more  profitable  ones  by  the  relative  height  of  the  blocks.  A 
dotted  line  has  been  drawn  through  the  diagram  representing 
earnings  of  30  cents  per  standard  car-mile  which  has  already 
been  used  as  a  basis  of  computing  service.    See  also  Table  17. 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  earnings  on  the  important  lines 
per  standard  car-mile  vary  approximately  from  as  low  as  16 
cents  on  the  Smithfield  avenue  line,  to  20  cents  on  Charles 
street,  25  cents  Branch  avenue,  Manton  avenue,  Centerdale, 
Hughesdale  and  Oaklawn,  30  cents  on  Riverside  and  River- 
point,  35  cents  on  Pawtuxet  and  Pawtucket  lines,  Auburn- 
Camp  street,  Olneyville-Brook-Governor,  and  Friendship- 
Admiral.  40  cents  on  Dyer  avenue-Swan  Point  and  Ar- 
lington, 45  cents  on  Atwells-Taunton,  and  Elmwood-Chalk- 
stone  to  around  50  cents  on  Ocean-Hope,-Prairie-Butler-Camp 
and  Dexter-Douglas.  The  striking  fact  presented  here  is  that 
the  through  routes  show  the  highest  earnings  per  car-mile  and 
the  long  haul  loop  lines,  the  lowest.  This  is  reasonable,  for 
the  trip  counts  show^  that  the  great  proportion  of  the  through 
riding  is  short  haul,  not  from  end  to  end  of  line. 

Monthly  Route  Records.  In  order  to  determine  the  eft'ect 
of  seasonal  variations  in  traffic  as  compared  with  the  actual 
counts  made,  the  history  of  the  route  for  an  entire  year  must 
be  studied.  Typical  records  of  the  kind  are  shown  in  Plate 
XVIII,  selected  to  illustrate  the  points  below. 


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Reroutixg  and  Service  Redistribution. 

I.  Slight  seasonal  variations:  (a)  through  route — Ocean- 
Hope;  (b)  loop  route — Union  Avenue;  (c)  interurban — 
W'oonsocket. 

Heavy  summer  traffic:  (a)  Suburban — Riverside  and 
Crescent  Park;  (b)  Long  haul  city — Edgewood  and  Pawtuxet; 
(c)  long  haul  suburban— Button  woods  and  East  Greenwich. 

3.  Reduced  summer  traffic:  (a)  Long  haul — Thornton; 
(b)   short  haul — Thurbers  avenue. 

4.  Continued  growth — Washington  Park  via  Broad  street. 

5.  Rearrangement  of  through  routes  with  increase  in  traffic 
Broadway-Elmgrove  to  Ehnwood-Elmgrove. 

6.  Increased  traffic;  decreased  service — Park  Avenue. 

7.  Summer  traffic  only — Rocky  Point. 

8.  Sharp  summer  peak — Pawtucket-East  Providence. 

These  records,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind,  are  only  to  be  re- 
garded as  illustrative  of  seasonal  variations.  For  a  detailed 
study  each  of  the  52  routes  must  be  examined.  In  general,  a 
marked  divergence  of  the  two  curves  indicates  relatively  poorer 
service  and  vice  versa,  i.  e.,  car  mileage  should  increase  and 
decrease  approximately  in  proportion  to  passenger  traffic  as  is 
usually  the  case.  This,  however,  is  not  an  exact  measure  of 
relative  service  between  summer  and  winter  for  the  reason  that 
summer  equipment  has  the  greater  seating  capacity  and  some- 
what fewer  cars  are  required  for  the  same  passenger  traffic. 

This  is  illustrated  in  Fig.  18,  by  the  fact  that  while  the  max- 
imum passengers  per  cnr-inilc  occurs  in  the  summer  the  max- 
imum per  seat-mile  occurs  in  the  winter  considering  the  system 
as  a  whole;  i.  e..  summer  service  is  relatively  better  than  winter. 

Trip  Records.  Finally,  an  accurate  measure  of  service  on 
various  routes  necessitates  a  record  of  typical  car  loading  and 

179 


Report  ox  Traction  Improvement. 


destination  of  passengers.  During  March  and  April,  76  such 
counts  were  made  from  which  loading  characteristics  of  in- 
dividual routes  were  obtained.  Tables  18-1  to  7  comprise  the 
results  and  Plates  XIX,  A,  B,  C,  indicates  them  in  graphical 
form  for  typical  routes,  such  as  limited  express,  long  and  short 
haul  loop  lines,  through  routes,  trippers,  etc.  These  records 
show  where  passengers  get  on  and  off,  the  average  passenger 
haul  in  miles,  the  relation  of  seating  capacity,  maximum  load 
and  fares  registered,  the  adherence  to  schedule  time,  the  cause 
and  location  of  schedule  delays,  the  imposition  of  short  haul 
upon  long  haul  riding,  and  the  effect  of  stops  upon  running 
speed  in  various  sections  of  the  City ;  and  further,  whether  the 
particular  trip  observed  is  reasonably  typical  as  compared  with 
all  preceding  trips  as  well  as  those  following.  Therefore,  a 
complete  history  of  operations  for  one  day  is  here  available. 
To  facilitate  this  work  the  Company  split  each  through  route, 
on  the  day  of  observation,  i.  e.,  kept  separate  records  each  way 
from  the  center  of  the  City  on  all  through  routes,  otherwise  it 
would  have  been  impossible  to  determine  whether  the  trip 
count  was  representative  of  rush  hour  conditions. 

Population  Density.  The  density  of  tributary  population 
per  mile  of  route  i.  e..  per  mile  of  street  traversed  by  only  a 
single  route,  estimated  for  the  residence  section  of  the  City 
only,  shows  that  many  of  the  lines  traverse  very  thickly  settled 
territory,  especially  those  listed  below  in  the  order  of  density: 

Persons 
Atwells-Acadcmy-Broadway  to  Terminus,  13700 

Prairie  Avenue,  Point  to  Thurbers,  7.630 

Governor  Street-East  Street  to  Terminus.  6,550 

Douglas  Avenue-R.  R.  to  Terminus.  S'^SO 

180 


Rekoutixg  an'd  Service  Redistrip.utiox. 

Ocean  Street,  Point  to  Thurbers,  5,400 

Cranston  Street,  Parade  to  City  line,  5,260 

North  Main  Street,  Olney  to  City  line,  4»72o 

Dyer  Avenue,  Plainfield  to  Roger  Williams  xA. venue,  4,580 

Broad  Street,  Friendship  to  City  line,  4.500 

Manton  Avenue,  Olneyville  to  City  line  4400 

Elmwood  Avenue,  Trinity  Square  to  City  line,  4,230 

Charles  Street,  Branch  Avenue  to  City  line,  4,200 

Union  Avenue,  Cranston  Street  to  City  line,  4,i8q 

Loiv  Densities. 

Hartford  Avenue,  Olneyville  to  City  line,  1,910 

Smith  Street,  Chalkstone  to  City  line,  ^,y7S 

Entire  East  side,   ist  and  2nd  wards,  including  North 

Main  Street,  3- 100 

Entire  City  of  Providence,  3.0/5 

This  list  is  by  no  means  complete  as  there  are  other  dense 
lines,  such  as  Broadway  and  Chalkstone  avenue,  but  all  these 
cases  were  omitted  as  the  tributary  population  could  not  be 
estimated  with  the  necessary  degree  of  accuracy  owing  to  the 
complication  of  superimposed  routes.  These  figures,  however, 
do  indicate  where  the  highest  earnings  may  be  expected. 

Traffic  Density.  Carrying  this  thought  one  step  further,  the 
actual  earnings  per  mile  of  route  per  year  have  been  analyzed 
in  connection  with  the  earnings  per  seat-mile  (the  best  index 
of  service)  in  order  to  indicate  whether  the  service  provided 
is  commensurate  with  the  riding  of  patrons  along  these  routes. 
For  this  purpose,  the  seat  mileage  of  through  routes  has  been 
computed  separately  each  way  from  the  center  of  the  City. 
Likewise,  the  annual  earnings.  Below  are  listed  certain  routes 
on  which  the  earnings  per  seat-mile  are  higher  than  normal 


181 


Rkport  ox  Tractiox  Improvemext. 


and  the  earnings  per  mile  of  route  also  sufficiently  high  to  war- 
rant an  increase  in  service  if  otherwise  shown  to  be  necessary. 
The  average  earnings  per  mile  of  route  for  the  Union  Division 
is  $11,330,  and  normal  earnings  of  30c.  per  car-mile  correspond 
to  0.7c.  per  seat-mile. 

Routes  Earning  over  50%  above  Xorinal — 1.05c.  per  Seat- 
Mile.  Ocean-. — i.S3c.  per  seat-mile — v$25,ooo  per  mile  route. 
Broadway  (Phillipsdale-Rumford) — 1.19c.,  $30,000.  Dexter — 
1.13c.,  $14,060.  Camp  (Auburn) — i.ic,  $21,100;  also  Doug- 
las, Elmgrove  and  Butler  (Prairie). 

Routes  Earning  25%  to  50%  above  Normal.  Prairie — 1,05c., 
$26,100.  Dyer — 1.04c.,  $14,070.  Arlington — 0.98c.,  $30,800. 
Chalkstone — 0.98c.,  $27,760.  Academy — 0.95c.,  $28,920.  Taun- 
ton— 0.88c.,  $27,200.  Friendship — 0.94c.,  $21,870;  also,  Camp 
(Prairie),  Governor,  Hope,  Reservoir,  Brook,  Union,  Cran- 
ston Print  Works. 

Routes  Earning  from  10%  to  25%  above  Normal.  Plainfield 
— 0.85c.  $25,860.  Elmwood  (Chalkstone) — 0.83c..  $12,450. 
Broad  (Edgewood,  Pawtuxet)^o.82c.,  $47,200;  also.  Rum- 
ford  and  Swan  Point. 

Routes  of  about  Normal  Earnings  0.7c.  per  Seat  Mile.  Paw- 
tucket  (Main.  Garden) — .76c.,  $29,400;  also.  Auburn,  Center- 
dale  (Manton),  North  Attleboro  and  Admiral.  Other  routes 
are  either  low  in  earnings  per  seat-mile  or  very  low  in  density. 
It  should  be  emphasized  that  the  fact  of  high  earnings  per  mile 
or  seat-mile  does  not  necessarily  indicate  poor  service  except 
in  comparisons  of  the  same  route  or  the  entire  system  from 
month  to  month  and  year  to  year ;  but  it  does  indicate  what 
parts  of  the  system  have  sufficient  earning  power  to  make 
improvements   possible,   either  on    those   lines   or   other   non- 


182 


Reroutixg  and  Service  Redistributiox. 

paying  lines  needing  assistance.    There  must  necessarily  always 
be  some  non-paying  lines  in  a  large  system. 

Referring  again  to  Fig.  18,  it  will  be  noted:  ist.  that  the 
average  numl)er  of  passengers  per  seat-mile  has  increased 
materially  since  1907,  which  indicates  relatively  greater  load- 
ing; 2nd,  that  the  curve  of  passengers  per  scat-mile  varies 
oppositely  to  that  per  car-mile  indicating  much  better  service 
in  the  summer  than  in  the  winter,  due  to  open  cars ;  3rd,  that 
the  winter  loading  remains  fairly  constant  (fiat  topped  curve)  ; 
and  4th,  that  the  winter  loading  as  compared  with  the  summer 
has  been  increasing  since  1907.  This  is  indicated  by  the  fact 
that  the  winter  crests  are  ascending  rapidly  while  the  summer 
minnima  remain  about  the  same;  also,  that  the  winter  crest  is 
getting  higher  and  higher  above  the  average  for  the  year. 
Finally,  the  curve  shows  that  the  service  during  January,  Feb- 
ruary and  March  bears  about  the  same  relation  to  the  year's 
cycle  as  in  previous  seasons,  which  means  that  this  investiga- 
tion was  conducted  under  fairly  normal  conditions  and  that 
the  service  was  not  temporarily  improved. 


General  Deductions. 

Length  of  Passenger  Haul.  On  many  of  the  longer  outly- 
ing lines  the  average  ride  is  from  4  to  7  miles  and  it  is  generally 
the  fact  that  tlie  loading  upon  these  lines  is  about  as  heavy  as 
on  the  City  lines ;  in  some  cases,  heavier.  This  results  in  a 
standing  load  often  exceeding  five  miles.  It  is  believed  that 
less  standing  should  be  permitted  on  these  long  haul  lines  than 

183 


Report  ox  Tractiox  Improvement. 


on  short  haul  city  lines  for  the  reason  that  persons  do  not 
object  to  standing  for  a  short  distance,  while  a  standing  trip 
of  thirty  or  forty  minutes  is  extremely  fatiguing.  It  is  true 
that  the  Company  allows  a  maximum  of  only  50  to  60  persons 
on  the  cross-seat  suburban  cars.  Nevertheless,  this  standard 
is  not  sufficient  and  every  efifort  should  be  made  to  maintain 
a  practically  seated  load  on  hauls  in  excess  of  four  miles.  This 
can  only  be  done  by  short  haul  trippers  and  extras  as  later 
indicated  or  with  limited  expresses. 

The  average  passenger  haul  over  the  lines  of  the  Union 
Division  was  determined  by  passenger  counts  as  2.07  miles. 
This  is  low,  as  much  as  30%  below  some  cities.  Short  haul 
means  high  earnings  and  in  return  therefor  the  Company  should 
not  hesitate  to  relieve  the  long  haul  service  which  can  hardly 
be  expected  to  result  in  as  high  earnings  i)er  car  or  seat-mile 
as  short  haul  loads.  But  it  appears  from  the  records,  Plate 
X\TI,  that  the  long  haul  suburban  routes  earn,  per  seat-niilc 
not  much  less  than  the  short  haul  routes  and  average  what 
would  be  a  fair  earning  capacity  for  the  entire  system,  30c. 
per  standard  car-mile  or  0.7c.  per  seat-mile.  It  seems  reason- 
able, therefore,  that  service  on  the  long  haul  suburban  routes 
might  be  very  generally  improved  by  the  methods  above 
outlined. 

Passenger  Load.  Many  of  the  long  haul  cars  are  required 
to  carry  a  short  haul  load.  This  indicates  the  necessity  of 
running  short  haul  trippers  just  ahead  of  the  regulars  as  is  now 
the  practice  of  the  Company  in  many  cases,  for  example. 
Broad  street  to  Thurbcrs  and  Norwood  avenues.  This  plan 
is  practically  a  necessity  in  absorbing  loads  developing  sud- 
denly, e.  g.,  a  6  o'clock  factory  load.     Here  an  evenly  split 


184 


Rerouting  and  StiRvicii:  Redistribution. 


headway  is  ineffective,  but  for  a  peak  load  that  develops  sloicly, 
extras  spaced  between  the  regulars  are  preferable  as  they  per- 
mit of  a  regular  headway  of  shorter  period,  whicn  is  a  much 
greater  con\  enience  to  patrons  than  a  double  or  triple-header, 
and  furthermore,  lessen  street  congestion.  Short  haul  trip- 
pers should  not  be  required  to  run  the  entire  route  for  the 
loading  curves  distinctly  indicate  where  the  short  haul  load 
drops  oft".  By  turning  back  at  these  points  more  trips  can  be 
run  during  the  rush  hour  with  the  same  equipment. 

The  only  method  of  reserving  seats  for  long  haul  rides  is  by 
means  of  limited  stop  expresses  during  rush  hours.  That  this 
plan  is  quite  eft'ective  is  shown  by  the  records  of  express  trips 
wherein  practically  all  of  the  loading  occurs  zcithi)!  the  terminal 
district.  This  also  furnishes  evidence  of  the  propriety  of  rout- 
ing expresses,  such  as  Buttonwoods,  by  through  streets  other 
than  those  devoted  to  local  business,  e.  g.,  Eddy  street.  For 
the  small  number  of  persons  thus  discommoded  who  live  along 
the  local  route  (Broad  street),  can  reach  the  express  line  by 
transfer  to  the  first  stopping  point.  In  certain  cases  limited 
expresses  need  to  be  run  only  during  rush  hours,  e.  g..  \\''ash- 
ington  Park  via  Eddy  street,  as  at  present. 

On  many  of  these  counts,  rush  hour  loads  of  approximately 
20oTc  of  the  seating  capacity  were  observed,  and  it  was  not 
always  the  case  that  the  heaviest  loaded  car  of  the  day's  trip 
happened  to  be  selected  for  counting.  This  fact  was  de- 
termined by  a  comparison  of  the  trip  registration  with  that 
shown  by  the  Company's  trip  cards  for  this  particular  line 
throughout  the  day.  These  same  conditions  were  observed  in 
the  March  counts.  On  the  other  hand,  some  of  the  routes  on 
which  maximum  loading  would  be  expected  showed  light  loads, 

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186 


Rerouting  and  Service  Redistribution. 

e.  g.,  Academy  avenue.  Ths  illustrates  the  difficulty  al\va\.> 
encountered  in  anticipating  the  exact  time  these  maximum 
rush  hour  loads  occur. 

Factory  loads  occasion  the  worst  congestion ;  and  on  some 
routes  very  heavy  loads  occur  on  the  first  morning  trip  and 
also  the  last  night  trip.  These  loads  can  only  be  met  by  the 
present  plan  of  trippers  or  extras.  On  some  lines  it  appears 
that  both  rush  hour  outbound  and  later  inbound  loading  could 
be  served  by  the  same  extra  runs  so  timed  as  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  load  in  both  directions.  The  day  loading,  as  a  rule. 
is  rather  light — below  seating  capacity  so  that  service  generally 
reduces  to  a  matter  of  headway. 

It  may  be  properly  pointed  out  here  that  what  is  often  con- 
sidered as  grossly  excessive  loading  on  throu;2^h  route  cars  is 
partly  due  to  double  loading.  The  Auburn-Camp  line  will 
serve  as  an  example — Fig.  19.  Here,  heavy  loads  at  rush 
hours  were  found  in  both  directions,  only  twelve  passengers 
continuing  their  ride  through  the  city.  On  this  trip  the  total 
registration  was  125  passengers  while  the  maximum  in  the 
car  at  any  one  time  was  65  passengers.  For  the  same  reason 
lines  passing  through  Olneyville  often  show  an  excessive  high 
registration  and  a  route  such  as  Dyer  Avenue-Swan  Point 
actually  shows  triple  loading.  This  is  distinctly  fortunate  rather 
than  the  reverse,  for  it  makes  possible  more  service  than  if 

L additional  equipment  had  to  be  provided. 
Stops.     From  15%  to  30%  of  the  time  is  consumed  in  normal     || 
tops,  the  longer  periods  occurring  on  those  lines  where  the     'f 
frequent  pole  stops  are  taken  advantage  of,  or  else  where  the 
delays  are  excessive  due  to  over-crowding.    The  average  length 
of  stops  varies  from  6  to  14  seconds,  the  latter  on  over-crowded 

187 


FIGURE  20— REDUCTION   OF  SPEED  WITH   STOPS. 

Illustrating  from  a  large  number  of  observations  in  Providence 
how  the  speed  is  rapidly  decrcascl  with  increased  number  of  stops 
per  mile,  c.  g.,  from  9V^  miles  with  5  stops,  to  5.6  miles  per  hour 
with  15  stops.  The  figures  indicate  the  average  duration  of  stops 
and  vary  but  little,  showing  that  reduced  speed  is  largely  due  to 
frequency  of  stops  outside  of  the  business  district. 


Rerouting  and  Skrvkk  Rkdistributiun. 


lines.     Eliminating  the  stops,  the  average  schedule  speed  on 
the  longer  lines  is  about  lo  miles  per  hour,  but,  again,  over- 
crowding reduces  this  to  less  than  8  miles  on  many  lines,  and 
including  stops  the  average  speed  is  reduced  to  6  miles  or 
lower.      This    relation    is    illustrated    in    Fig.    20.      Attention 
must,  therefore,  be  directed  to:    First,  a  reduction  in  the  pos-  ( 
sible  number  of  stops;  second,  a  reduction  in  the  delays  from  1 
over-crowding;  third,  a  reduction  in  the  delays  due  to  lack  of    ) 
promptness  in  handling  of  cars  en  route,  exclusive  of  unavoid- 
able delays  in  the  terminal  district. 

The  stops  per  mile  vary  from  8  to  17.  averaging  about  10 
per  mile  or  an  average  spacing  of  over  500  feet.  Thus  the 
pole  spacing  recommended  in  this  report  is  somewhat  less  than 
the  actual  interval  observed,  which  indicates  that  it  should  be 
sufficient  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  average  citizen  and  impose 
no  hardship  in  the  matter  of  extra  walk.  The  increased  run- 
ning speed  resulting  will  then  be  clear  gain. 

Hcadzvay.  Insistent  demands  are  being  made  for  decrease 
in  the  headway  on  certain  outlying  lines  and  for  still  shorter 
headway  during  rush  hours  than  is  now  being  furnished.  The 
accompanying  car  dot  map,  Plate  XX,  shows  the  regular  head- 
way during  both  day  and  rush  hour  and  also  the  exact  location 
of  cars  at  6  P.  M.  on  various  lines.  On  Pawtucket  lines  a 
rush  hour  headway  of  approximately  five  minutes  is  main- 
tained. Broad  street  is  also  of  about  the  same  frei|uenc\  to 
the  Warwick  avenue  corners — ten  minutes  beyond.  <  )n  sn\ule 
track  lines,  the  headway  varies  from  ten  minutes  on  Prairie 
avenue,  Friendship  street,  Admiral  street  and  Chalkstone 
avenue  to  thirtv  minutes,  e.  g.,  on  Hartford  avenue,  (liarles 
street,  etc.,  most  of  the  lines  having  20  minutes  headway.     One 

189 


Report  ox  Traction  Lmpruvkmext. 


line  partly  double  tracked — Academy  avenue  has  a  five-min- 
ute headway  at  rush  hours. 

The  frequency  of  car  service  should  really  be  determined 
by  the  traffic  density  or  riding  habit  of  the  patrons  along  the 
route.  Consequently,  lines  of  heavy  traffice  should  always  receive 
first  consideration,  as  the  interests  of  more  people  are  involved. 
On  the  other  hand,  it  is  possible  on  light  lines  to  discourage  the 
riding  habit  of  patrons  by  curtailing  car  service.     For  a  given 
class  of  territory,  there  is  an  irreducible  minimum  of  service 
even  though  the  line  must  be  operated  at  a  loss.     For  any 
reasonably  well  developed  residence  territory,  a  rush  hour  head- 
way of  twenty  minutes   can   hardly  be  considered  adequate. 
While  possibly  sufficient  for  normal  day  traffic,  it  ought  to  be 
reduced  during  the  rush  hour.  This  undoubtedly  involves  more 
frequent  turnouts ;  but  the  simple  fact  that  streets  are  narrow 
should  not  prevent  the  more  liberal  provision  of  turnouts,  but 
rather    encourage    it.      Detailed    recommendations    regarding 
headway  are  made  later  in  this  chapter. 
,         The  outlying  lines   in   thinly   populated   districts   offer   the 
'     greatest  problem,  and  it  often  occurs  that  patrons  of  a  light 
:     line  branching  from  a  heavy  trunk  line  would  receive  better 
\   service  if  a  shuttle  line  were  adopted  with  a  transfer  to  the 
trunk  line  rather  than  to  run  a  through  car  to  the  city  less 
frequently.  /The  insistence  of  patrons  who  are  not  properly 
located  for  economical  through  riding  from  l^oi^e  ^o_ office  is 
responsible,  in  most  cities,  for  a  good  share  of  the  difficulty  in 
"^  efficient    routing^ Surely,    passengers    should    not    object    to 
transferring  if  the  local  headway  could  be  decreased  by  means 
of  a  shuttle  car  and  if  a  fairly  close  connection  to  the  main 
line  could  be  guaranteed  with  a  comfortable  ride  on  large  cars 
for  the  balance  of  the  trip. 


y/ 


Rerouting  and  Servici;  Redistriuutiox. 

It  is  not  good  practice  to  decrease  an  all  day  headway  simply 
to  accommodate  occasional  peak  loads,  as  for  convention  halls, 
or  playground,  etc.  Trippers  should  care  for  such  patrons. 
No  Company  can  afford  to  operate  idle  mileage  all  the  time  for 
occasional  demands.  Patrons  desiring  such  special  service 
would  be  most  certain  to  get  it  by  advising  the  Company  of 
their  needs  prior  to  the  demand. 

Dead  Mileage.  Run-off  or  dead  mileage  represents  that  cer- 
tain per  cent,  of  the  total  revenue  car  mileage  run  that  can- 
not be  used  effectively  for  revenue  purposes,  i.  e.,  mileage  lost 
when  a  car  is  turned  into  the  car  house  from  the  outlying 
terminus  on  its  last  run.  That  every  effort  should  be  made  to 
decrease  this  dead  mileage  is  apparent  from  the  fact  that  high 
dead  mileage  means  less  useful  service  for  the  same  operating 
expense.  For  the  entire  Union  Division  the  dead  mileage  is 
4.48%  (Table  19)  or  for  the  city  lines  only,  excluding  suburb- 
ans, 2.93%.  This  per  cent,  for  the  city,  as  a  whole,  is  very 
reasonable,  but  certain  lines  might  be  improved :  Thus,  Center- 
dale  via  Smith,  11.9%  which  may  be  provided  for  by  a  short 
track  connection  from  Smith  Street  to  the  Mount  Pleasant  car 
house ;  but  Branch  avenue,  Charles  street  and  Smithfield  a\e- 
nue  lines,  all  above  lo'^o  in  dead  mileage,  cannot  readily  be 
improved  upon  without  a  more  convenient  car  house  in  the 
North  End,  as  elsewhere  suggested.  Long  haul  suburban 
routes  cannot  avoid  considerable  dead  mileage,  especially  those 
operated  for  short  periods  as  extras.  If  the  plan  herein  sug- 
gested were  adopted ;  viz.,  having  the  last  outbound  trip  of 
through  routes  turn  in  at  the  nearest  car  house,  certain  short 
track  connections  would  be  necessary,  e.  g.,  on  the  East  Side, 
from  the  northern  termini  to  tlie  North  Main  street  car  house 
via  Rochambeau  and  Pidge  avenue,  as  later  specified. 

191 


Report  ux  Tkactiox  I.MPRovii-MEXT. 


Through  Routes.  The  Rhode  Island  Company  is  to  be  dis- 
tinctly commended  for  the  establishment  of  so  many  through 
routes.  This  is  a  development  for  which  other  cities  are  striv- 
ing, some  without  success,  unfortunately,  owing  to  the  mistaken 
idea  of  some  managements  that  a  through  ride,  even  if  a  short 
haul,  is  a  lost  fare.  The  relative  magnitude  of  this  traffic  in 
through  routes,  as  compared  with  that  of  the  entire  system, 
are  shown  by  the  seat  flow  map,  Plate  XXI.  Here  the  wndth 
of  the  lines  is  proportional  to  the  number  of  seats  passing 
during  one  hour.  Within  the  down-town  district  the  through 
routes  only  are  shown. 

The  principal  objection  of  some  Railway  Companies  to 
establishing  through  routes  seems  to  be  on  the  possibility  of 
exceedingly  long  rides  for  one  fare.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the 
percentage  of  such  riding  is  so  small  as  to  be  negligible.  Ob- 
servations made  by  the  Rhode  Island  Company  ui)on  typical 
through  routes  in  Providence  show  that  Elmwood-Elmgrove 
line  carried  from  one  side  of  the  loading  district  to  the  other 
only  50  to  100  people  per  day,  while  the  Olneyville-Rumford- 
Phillipsdale  lines  carried  from  175  to  250;  Dyer  Avenue-Swan 
Point,  70  to  100;  Dexter-Douglas,  70  to  90;  Elm  wood-Chalk- 
stone,  50  to  100.  In  the  case  of  the  Rumford  route  a  definite 
community  of  interest  exists,  as  many  of  the  workers  reside  at 
Olneyville;  but,  in  the  case  of  many  of  the  other  runs,  it  is 
apparent  that  through  riding  from  end  to  end  is  not  a  source 
of  loss  worth  considering.  For  a  short  haul  city  like  Provi- 
dence, where  the  maximum  through  route  ride  is  less  than  7 
miles,  it  should  be  eliminated  from  the  discussion,  the  through 
routes  being  taken  up  entirely  on  the  merits  of  more  direct 
transit  through  the  city.     This  point  of  view  will  be  more  evi- 


192 


Rerouting  a.\d  Service  REDisTRinunuN'. 

dent  from  a  study  of  the  April   route  counts :     Plates  XIX 
A,  B,  C. 

Through  routes  may  be  established  for  the  following-  pur- 
poses: I.  To  connect  opposite  sides  of  the  city  where  there  is 
an  apparent  community  of  interest.  2.  To  connect  two  loop 
lines  of  the  same  headway  simply  to  facilitate  transit  through 
the  street  by  avoiding  loop  congestion.  3.  To  encourage  travel 
especially  during  non-rush  hours,  which  is  an  element  of  clear 
gain  to  the  operating  company,  as  it  is  enabled  to  utilize  more 
completely  available  equipment. 

In  general,  the  line  originating  in  the  south  end  of  the  city 
should  continue  to  the  opposite  or  north  end,  and  vice  versa, 
thus  giving  the  most  direct  routing  through  the  down-town 
district.  Certain  through  routes,  however,  have  been  brought 
about  by  community  of  interest — such  as  Olneyville-Rumford- 
Phillipsdale,  also  an  excellent  example  of  the  most  direct 
through  route  is  Olneyville-Rumford. 

In  Providence  several  through  routes  are  split  by  operating 
ten  minute  headway  on  one  side  of  the  city  and  twenty  min- 
ute on  the  other,  alternating  between  the  two  branches. 

A  very  considerable  improvement  might  be  made  by  having 
the  last  outbound  car  leaving  one  side  of  the  city  turn  in  at 
the  car  house  on  the  opposite  side,  so  as  to  give  the  patrons 
in  those  districts  the  advantage  of  the  longer  car  service  de- 
sired. At  the  present  time  some  thirty  minutes  in  the  night 
service  is  cut  off  from  the  outlying  territory,  not  adjacent  to 
the  car  house  now  used,  that  might  otherwise  be  provided  with- 
out any  hardship  in  operation. 

An  examination  of  the  records  of  earnings  ])or  car-mile  a* id 
per  seat-mile  show  that,  with  a  few  exce])tions,  through  routes 


193 


Report  ox  Traction  Improvement. 


are  practically  all  on  a  good  paying  basis,  which  is  due  largely 
to  double  loading,  in  some  cases  triple  loading. 


Destination  Canvass. 

In  order  to  ascertain  if  possible  the  existence  of  communities 
of  interest,  not  indicated  by  the  various  traffic  counts  on  pres- 
ent routes,  a  canvass  of  several  large  manufactories  was  made, 
through  the  assistance  of  their  respective  officials,  comprising 
number  of  employees,  destination  and  preference  of  route.  The 
results  are  presented  in  Table  21.  Although  full  returns  from 
this  canvass  are  by  no  means  available,  these  six  factories  will 
give  some  indication  of  riding  habit.  Thus  practically  half  of 
the  3,200  employees  of  plants  located  near  the  center  of  the 
city  walk  to  their  work.  About  20%  of  the  Brown  &  Sharpe 
men  transfer  to  the  North  End  and  Pawtucket.  A  large  num- 
ber also  reside  in  Mount  Pleasant,  Olneyville,  Arlington  and 
Elmwood.  Presumably  these  same  conditions  apply  to  the 
other  mills  along  the  bottom  lands  of  the  Woonasquatucket. 

This,  therefore,  serves  to  confirm  the  necessity  previously 
discussed,  of  a  cross-town  line  via  Valley-Huntington-Potteri- 
Public  on  the  one  side  and  Orms  street  on  the  other  to  dis 
tribute  the  factory  load  between  South  Providence  and  Randall 
Square.  This  line  would  transfer  one-half  of  the  South 
Auburn  workers  to  their  homes  without  making  it  necessary  to 
go  to  the  center  of  the  city.  This  also  would  be  of  direct 
benefit  to  nearly  40%  of  the  riding  employees  of  the  Gorham 
Manufacturing  Co.,  and  also  serve  well  the  Olneyville  mill 
workers  living-  south  of  Westminster  street.  The  East  Provi- 
dence workers,  living  in  the  direction  of  Olneyville,  are  now 


194 


Rerouting  and  Service  REDiSTRinuTiox. 

provided  with  a  direct  line,  but  those  residing  in  South  Provi- 
dence might  clearly  benefit  by  the  proposed  extension  of  the 
above  cross-town  route  via  Edd_\'  street  and  Point  street 
Bridge.  All  such  diversion  of  traffic  from  the  center  of  the 
city  will  eventually  decrease  the  street  congestion  there,  and 
is  very  desirable  on  this  account.  This  study  of  destination 
should  be  carried  to  completion  in  the  near  future  by  a  thor- 
ough canvass  of  the  entire  city  as  a  part  of  a  comprehensive 
re-routing  study.  The  results,  it  is  believed,  would  be  of  the 
greatest  benefit. 


SPECIFIC    RECOMMENDATIONS. 

Supplementing  the  above  general  discussion,  certain  definite 
improvements  may  be  recommended  which  the  records  seem 
to  indicate  most  necessary.  Owing  to  the  constant  change  in 
traffic,  such  recommendations  on  the  service  of  individual 
routes  very  properly  require  verification  by  the  Company  by 
trial  or  observation. 


Trackage. 

Certain   track    improvements    have   already    been    discussed 
under  "City  Planning."    These  are: 

Constitution  Hill Double  Track 

Randall  street 

Aborn  street   

Plainfield  street    " 

Steeple  street   

Smith   street    (to  Chalkstone  ) .  .  .  . 

195 


Ri:i'ORT  u.\  Tkactiox  Imprdxe.mext. 


Fountain   street    Single  track 

Fenner  street   

Additional  improvements  essential  to  proposed  plans  for  ser- 
vice improvements  are  as  follows : 

Chalkstone  avenue.  Double-track  immediately  with  off- 
side track  location  to  Mt.  I'leasant  avenue.  The  diversion  via 
Parkway  and  Promenade  street  that  has  been  frecjuently  sug- 
gested does  not  fulfill  requirements  as  an  alternative  unless 
Smith  street  service  were  increased  proportionately,  for  the 
major  portion  of  Chalkstone  avenue  traffic  centers  on  Capitol 

Hill. 

Acadeiu\  aieiiue.  Double-track  from  Atwells  to  Chalk- 
stone,  offside  location.  A  return  loo])  is  recommended  via 
Chalkstone,  Mt.  Pleasant  and  Atwells  avenues  to  meet  double 
tracks  on  Atwells  avenue.  This  would  i)rovide  a  comjilete  inde- 
pendent track  and  reach  more  effectively  the  well  settled  Alt. 
Pleasant  Plateau,  also  descending  instead  of  climbing  Atwell 
avenue  hill.  This  plan  might  be  modified  by  running  every 
alternate  or  third  trip  up  Academy  avenue,  returning  as  at 
present  without  traversing  the  loop. 

Smith  street.  Double-tracking  recommended  in  tlie  very 
near  future  for  Chalkstone  avenue  to  Convent  Ilill  with  oft- 
side  track  location.  .\s  a  30-f(jot  roadwa\  will  not  (juite 
accommodate  four  lines  of  traffic,  it  is  better  to  reserve  one 
side  of  the  street  for  vehicles  only,  perhaps  necessitating  the 
shifting  of  the  present  track.  This  applies  to  the  street  ir- 
respective of  needed  improvement  east  of  Chalkstone  avenue, 
which  contemplates  double  track,  center  location,  as  discussed 
under  "City  Planning." 

FriendsJiip  street.  Fxtend  single  track  to  Dor  ranee  street 
to    establish    northbound    traffic    exclusively    on    Friendship 


ICjft 


i 


Rkkoitixg  AM)  Skrvici-:  Rkdistkii'.utidx. 


f  street,  at  least  below  Chestnut  street.  This  requires  no  turn- 
outs and  in  any  case  the  connection  is  needed  for  emergency 
routing. 

Claz'crick  street.  Single  track  westbound  connection  from 
Friendship  to  Bassett  streets  relieving  counter  operation  on 
South  Providence  lines. 

h'eiiiier  street.  Install  track  connection  from  Westminster 
to  Broad.  Double  track  preferable.  Single  track  with  turn- 
out could  be  used. 

Beacon  avenue.     Connect  Broad  street  tracks  with  Friend- 
1      ship   street,    Prairie   avenue   and   Ocean    street   lines,   to   pro- 
vide all  independent  tracks  north  of  Hayward  Park. 

Fountain  street.  Single  track  northbound  connection  from 
Aborn  street  through  to  West  Exchange  and  Washington 
streets.    This  loop  is  very  essential. 

Plainfield  Street.  Double  track  immediately  from  Olney- 
ville  Square  to  Webster  avenue.  Extensions  of  the  second 
track  beyond  Plainfield  street  to  Webster  avenue  anticipates 
probable  development  by  means  of  a  line  southward  to  Ar- 
lington. It  is  understood  that  the  Company  stands  ready  to 
construct  whenever  the  Plainfield  street  grade  separation  is 
put  into  effect ;  but  as  the  disturbance  of  track  and  grade  will 
not  extend  over  500  feet  in  length,  and  at  least  another  year 
will  be  required  to  get  the  grade  separation  under  way,  it  is 
believed  that  this  double  tracking  could  be  done  now  without 
hardship. 

Olnex  street.  A  short  connection  from  Camp  to  Hope 
streets  will  be  of  assistance  in  re-routing  and  in  any  case  should 
be  available   for   emergencies. 

197 


Riii'ORT  OX  Traction  Lmproxemext. 


Admiral  street  Line.  Extension  from  Douglas  to  Branch 
avenue  appears,  from  passenger  counts,  to  be  desirable  prob- 
ably on  account  of  the  oblique  street  layout  at  this  point  not 
distributing  as  effectively  as  streets  at  right  angles. 

Dexter  street.  Passenger  counts  indicate  extension  south- 
bound necessary  and  it  is  understood  that  this  is  contemplated 
in  the  Company's  schedule  of  the  season's  improvements — 
if  a  suitable  street  is  provided. 

Reserz'oir  avenue.  Extend  single  track  to  Park  avenue, 
with  provision  for  double  tracking.*  Route  Riverpoint  ex- 
press over  this  line  instead  of  Elmwood  avenue.  Eventually 
extend  Reservoir  line  southwesterly  to  develop  this  section. 

Cranston  street.  Extend  double  track  to  Cranston  Print 
Works  (Haven  avenue  turnout.) 

IVashington  Row.  If  some  form  of  easy  grade  street  ap- 
proach to  the  East  Side  is  adoptedy  a  single  track  connection 
through  Washington  Row  will  be  desirable  to  reach  the  en- 
trance to  the  approach  without  encountering  reverse  curves 
on  Canal  street. 

Acadenix  avenue.  Connection  from  car  house  to  Smith 
street.  This  has  been  approved  and  should  be  built  immedi- 
ately. 

Rochambeaii  &  Pidge  avenues.  Possible  connections  west- 
erly to  North  Main  street  car  house. 

Ocean  street.  Load  curve  indicates  traffic  north  of  Thurb- 
ers  avenue.    Extend  track  to  railroad  cut. 

East  Providence.  Double-tracking  of  Broadway  from 
Massasoit  avenue  to  Warren  avenue  is  already  contemplated 


;-  Particularlv  one  wliich  starts  south  of  the  center  line  of  Canal  street. 
*This  will  require  widening  of  the  railroad  bridge  and  approaches 
thereto. 

198 


Rekoutixg  and  Service  Redistributiox. 

by  the  Compaii}-  to  better  serve  the  Providence  and  Riverside 
traffic  from  the  north.  Also  double-tracking  Taunton  avenue 
to  the  state  line  with  connections  to  Hunts  Mills.  These  im- 
provements are  desirable.  With  a  suitable  East  side  approach 
in  operation,  Waterman  avenue  should  also  be  double-tracked 
from  Red  Bridge  to  Broadway  Six-corners. 

Express  Passing  Tracks.  A  serious  objection  to  the  pres-  / 
ent  express  routes  seems  to  arise  from  the  fact  that  local  cars// 
are  switched  off  on  sidings  to  let  the  expresses  pass,  thereby/] 
losing  considerable  time  in  waits.  In  some  cases,  as  on  Eddy^  1 
street,  at  Thurbers  avenue  and  Public  street,  locals  are  shunted:  \ 
off  the  main  line  and  backed  into  position  after  the  express  ■ 
has  passed.  This  is  certainly  a  reasonable  source  of  com-  ; 
plaint  which  can  only  be  removed  by  installing  suitable  pass-  I 
ing  tracks.  ^^.,..-' ^,  ---i 

On  Eddy  street,  already  narrow,  no  room  is  available  for 
additional  side  tracks  without  overhanging  the  curb.  The 
only  alternatives  are:  ist, — double  cross-over  from  outbound 
to  inbound  tracks  and  vice  versa.  2nd — Shift  track  centers 
enough  to  provide  room  for  one  turnout.  3rd — Reduce  side- 
walk width  at  turnouts. 

The  first  has  the  disadvantage  of  introducing  counter  opera- 
tion on  the  return  track,  but  this  would  not  at  present  be 
serious  on  account  of  the  small  traffic  on  Eddy  street.  The 
second  introduces  reverse  curves  which  are  generally  unde- 
sirable, especially  occurring  so  often  as  would  be  necessary 
on  Eddy  street,  where  inbound  and  outbound  turnouts  would 
have  to  alternate  in  position  along  the  street.     The  third  is 


199 


Rki-ort  ox  Traction  Improvemkxt, 


questionable  as  Eckl\-  street  has  already  been  narrowed. 
Temporarily,  therefore,  the  double  cross-over  might  be  allowa- 
ble, but,  as  the  local  trafific  increases,  proper  provision  for 
the  necessary  turnouts  must  be  made  in  the  future.  On  wide 
streets,  such  as  outer  Hroad  street  and  l>roadway,  i)assing 
tracks  of  ample  length  to  avoid  delays  should  be  laid.  This 
will  result  in  imposing  no  hardship  upon  local  passengers, 
and  the  express  service  will  then  achieve  the  double  object 
of  saving  time  and  reserving  seats  for  long  haul  passengers, 
while   not   interfering  with   the   proper   short   haul   service. 


Skrvice. 

* 

Running  Speed.  A  general  increase  in  speed  on  most  lines 
is  so  urgently  needed  that  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  specify 
particular  ones.  In  many  cases  a  liberal  increase  in  speed 
will  make  it  possible  to  realize  the  necessary  increase  in  car 
mileage  and  reduction  in  headway  with  the  present  equipment. 
From  the  route  counts  it  appears  that  35  out  of  59  or  nearly 
60%  of  the  trips  were  below  schedule,  even  when  making 
allowance  for  extraordinary  delays  such  as  the  Smith  street 
turnouts.  Moreover,  there  were  23  trips  observed  in  which 
the  average  speed  outside  of  the  loading  district  was  under 
8  miles  per  hour,  i.  e.,  where  free  running  was  possible. 
Examples  of  present  actual  conditions  may  be  cited  on  the 
following  lines:  Brown-Mathew^son — 4.69  m.  p.  h.,  Friend- 
shij) — 4.73  m.  [).  h..  Camp — Prairie — 5.29  m.  p.  h..  Arlington 
&  Ocean — 5.63   ui.   p.   h.,   Broadway — 5.86  m.  p.   h. 


200 


Rerouting  axd  Service  Redistridution. 

An  average  speed,  deducting  time  of  stops,  of  at  least  lo 
miles  per  hour  should  be  operated,  or  12  miles  on  free  run- 
ning lines.  This  would  raise  the  average  schedule  speed, 
including  stops,  to  8.5  or  9  miles  per  hour,  depending  upon 
the  number  of  stops,  as  compared  with  the  present  average 
of  7.96  for  the  entire  Union  Division.  That  such  increased 
speed  is  possible  is  proven  by  the  experience  of  other  cities 
where  even  faster  schedules  are  in  force. 

Delays.  Losses  in  running  time  during  the  rush  hours, 
from  2  to  10  minutes  in  duration  were  observed  on  a  num- 
ber of  trips,  the  most  serious  of  which  are  as  follows : 

Chalkstone — 10^4   min. — Smith  &   Chalkstone   turnouts. 

Oaklawn — 9  min. — Print   Works   turnouts. 

Phillipsdale — 9  min. — Red  Bridge  &  Six  Corners  turnouts. 

Smith    Street — -5    min.— Chalkstone    turnouts. 

Centerdale    (Smith) — 4^/^    min. — Chalkstone    turnouts. 

Manton — 2^   min. — Olneyville  turnouts. 

Hope — 2    1-3   min. — Cypress   turnouts. 

Butler — 2    1-3   min. — Market    Square   turnouts. 

Of  the  above  Smith  Street  and  Print  Works  most  need 
improvement.  Both  have  been  covered  by  recommendations 
for  double  tracking.  Undoubtedly  delays  will  be  encountered 
on  other  lines,  elimination  of  which  will  require  the  most 
rigid  despatching  and  better  locations  of  turnouts,  if  double 
tracking  is  not  now  warranted. 

Headzi.'ay.  The  reasonable  capacity  of  regular  headway  ap- 
pears to  have  been  reached  on  a  number  of  lines  such  as 
Oaklawn,  Print  Works,  Riverside,  Auburn  &  Eden  Park, 
Broadway  (Rum  ford).  Rum  ford,  Edgewood  via  Eddy,  Prairie 
and  Dyer  avenue.     This  statement  is  made  on  the  assumption 

201 


Report  on  Traction  Improvement. 


that  a  practically  seated  load  is  to  be  maintained  during 
hourly  intervals  through  non-rush  hours,  and  it  presumes  that 
occasional  standing  loads  will  occur.  These  conclusions,  of 
course,  cannot  be  regarded  as  final  without  further  observa- 
tion through  various  seasons,  but  the  increased  loading  of 
winter  would  tend  to  confirm  them. 

Trippers  and  Extras''^.  It  is  hardly  feasible  to  specify 
in  detail  all  the  additional  rush  hour  service  necessary  for 
the  reason  that  the  increased  speed  recommended  will  com- 
pletely upset  the  present  schedules.  However,  certain  more 
important  present  needs  may  be  mentioned :  Cranston  Print 
Works — more  morning  rush  trippers  to  relieve  Oaklawn  and 
Knightsville;  Union  avenue — rush  hour  extras;  Centerdale 
via  Smith — more  short  haul  rush  extras;  Hope  street — more 
rush  extras  to  Rochambeau  avenue ;  Chalkstone  avenue — 
short  haul  extras  to  Davis  Park  would  relieve  much  local  load 
on  Capitol  Hill  during  rush  hours;  certain  lines  such  as 
Branch  avenue  and  Douglas  avenue  show  heavy  loading  in  the 
first  morning  trips  which  could  be  relieved  by  either  trippers  or 
earlier  starting.  It  must  be  remembered  in  discussing  this 
feature  of  the  service  that  the  Rhode  Island  Company  is  now 
giving  double  service  during  rush  hours,  i.  e.,  ioo%  above  the 
service  of  non-rush  hours.  This  is  admittedly  all  that  can 
reasonable  be  required,  provided  alxcays  that  the  non-rush 
hour  service  meets  the  proper  standard.  t 

Expresses.  More  definite  recommendations  can  be  made 
concerning  this  branch  of  the  service :  Riverpoint  expresses 
should  be  routed  via  Reservoir  and   Park  avenues.     Button- 


*  Trippers   here   understood    as    special    cars    just    preceding    regulars. 
Extras  meaning  special  cars  run  between  regulars  on  split-headway. 


202 


Rerouting  and  Service  Redistribution. 

woods  (via  Broad)  should  be  diverted  from  upper  Broad 
street  at  least  during  rush  hours  and  re-routed  via  Eddv 
street  giving  Broad  street  patrons  transfers  to  the  express 
at  Warwick  avenue  junction.  This  change  in  routing  will 
reduce  to  some  extent  the  rush  hour  standing  load  on  this 
line  and  will  involve  a  slight  extension  of  the  transfer  privilege, 
but  this  may  very  properly  be  in  the  form  of  an  exception  to 
the  present  system  for  express  patrons  only. 

Auburn  &  Eden  Park  route  needs  express  and  short  haul 
trippers  running  during  rush  hours  to  relieve  the  long  haul 
standing.  East  Greenwich  express  should  run  express  inbound 
as  well  as  outbound  in  order  to  be  relieved  of  City  load  which 
is  now  superimposed  upon  a  heavy  rush  hour  Auburn  load. 
The  latter  is  especially  heavy  inbound. 

Oaklawn  needs  rush  hour  express  with  short  haul  extras 
to  Knightsville.  Hughesdale  similarly  should  run  express 
with  rush  trippers  to  Silver  Lake.  Centerdale  (via  Manton) 
should  run  express  through  Olneyville. 

An  auxiliary  rush  hour  route  from  Olneyville  to  Centerdale 
might  be  suggested  to  relieve  Manton  avenue  cars. 

Pawtucket  service  would  be  improved  by  express  and  more 
rush  trippers  to  Pidge  avenue.  Riverside  requires  express 
and  short  haul  extras  to  Pawtucket  avenue. 
^  Short  Haul  Expresses.  It  has  been  proposed  by  residents 
of  ]\It.  Pleasant  to  operate  certain  cars  on  Academv  avenue 
route  as  expresses,  running  through  the  Federal  Hill  dis- 
trict to  Harris  avenue  before  stopping.  The  demand  for  this 
route  is  not  based  upon  a  desire  for  greater  speed,  but  purelv 
to  reserve  sufficient  seats  for  Mt.  Pleasant  passengers.     The 


20 ' 


Rk  PORT  ox  Tkactiox  I  m  rK(  )\i:mi:xt 


plan  is  opposed  by  Federal  Hill  residents  on  the  ground  of 
curtailing  the  service. 

From  the  results  of  passenger  counts,  both  for  the  outlet 
throat  and  for  a  typical  trip,  it  appears  that  the  Federal  Hill 
local  load  is  not  as  severe  as  might  be  inferred  from  the 
density  of  population,  for  the  reason  that  the  great  majority 
of  workers  do  not  seem  to  use  the  cars  habitually.  The 
load  curve,  of  which  Plate  XX  is  typical  in  shape  only,  shows 
that  most  of  the  load  is  through  load  to  Mt.  Pleasant  and  that 
there  is  rather  less  superimposed  on  this  than  on  other  lines. 

It  seems,  therefore,  in  view  of  the  short  haul  and  the 
facilities  for  improved  service  when  the  Mt.  Pleasant  loop 
is  installed,  that  the  express  service  is  not  only  unnecessary, 
but  also  inadvisable,    from  the   standpoint  of   discrimination. 

Express  service  should  only  be  regarded  as  a  necessary 
means  for  overcoming  the  handicap  of  distance  and  limited 
thoroughfaresX  It  necessarily  introduces  a  classification  of 
passengers  into  long  haul  and  short  haul.  This  apparent 
discrimination  is  obviously  not  of  the  same  order  as  that 
embodied  in  the  Mt.  Pleasant  express  idea,  in  which  the 
element  of  distance  is  not  predominant.  It  is  believed  that 
the  express  idea  should  at  present  be  limited  to  the  long 
haul  suburban  routes  of  the  5c.  zone. 


204 


k 


J 


i 


APPENDIX 


RECORDS  OF  THE  RHODE  ISLAND 
COMPANY 


TABULAR     DATA 


207 


THE  RHODE  ISLAND  COMPANY. 
Organization,   Territory   and  Equipment. 


In  brief,  the  present  surface  traction  system  is  constituted 
as  follows:     (See  analysis  of  ownership.  Table   i.) 

The  Rhode  Island  Company  is  an  operating  Company, 
chartered  in  1902,  operating  mostly  within  this  State.  Its 
stock  is  controlled  by  the  New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford 
Railroad  Company  through  a  holding  company,  the  Provi- 
dence Securities  Company.  The  Rhode  Island  Company  owns 
the  Woonsocket  local  and  interurban  and  contiguous  lines, 
all  acquired  in  1907;  it  leases  the  Union  Railroad  Company 
and  Pawtucket  Street  Railway  Company,  both  since  1902, 
and  the  Rhode  Island  and  Suburban  Railway  Company  since 
1904. 

The  Union  Railroad  Company  prior  to  the  lease  of  the 
Rhode  Island  Company  operated  all  of  the  street  railways  in 
Providence,  including  the  Providence  Cable  Tramway  Com- 
pany, which  it  leased  in  1895;  this  company  operated  only 
about  three  miles  of  route  on  the  F.ast  side,  principally  the 
College  Hill  a])proach. 

Mileage.     A  complete  map  of  single  and  double  track  with- 
in the  Providence  District  is  shown  in  Plate  T.     For  the  year 
i(>io   the   mileage   of   the    system    was   rei)()rte(l    to   local    and 
state  authorities  as  follows,  all  single  track : 
City  of  Providence,  exclusive  of  turnouts  and  car  house 

tracks    88.68 

208 


ArPEXDix. 

Union  Railroad  Division,  exclusive  of  turnouts  and  car 

house  tracks   ^5~-74 

Rhode  Island  system  within  the  State  317-28 

Double  track  within  the  City  aggregates  19.2  miles  or 
21.75%  of  the  total. 

Suburbans.     There   are   a   number  of   long   distance   inter- 
urban  systems  entering  Providence,  all  of  them  over  the  lines 
of  the  Rhode  Island  Company,  as  follows : 
Foreign  lines.  Lines  operated  by  Co. 

Fall  River  ^,j^  Woonsocket 

Taunton  )  E.  Providence    Riverpoint 

Danielson  East   Greenwich 

Attleboro  Buttonwoods  via  Broad  street 

I         via 
No.  Attleboro      Ipawtucket     Buttonwoods  via  Elmwood  Ave. 

So.  Attleboro     J  Warren  &  Bristol 

Worcester 

Fares.  The  limits  of  the  City  and  suburban  fare  zones  are 
outlined  by  means  of  contour  zones  in  Plate  II.  On  all  the 
independent  lines  the  Rhode  Island  Company  receives  the 
first  fare  to  about  the  City  line,  and  to  the  outside  City  lines 
of  Pawtucket  and  East  Providence.  Hence,  these  suburban 
connections  may  be  regarded  as  part  of  the  local  service. 

The  suburban  system  operated  by  the  Rhode  Island  Com- 
pany has  extended  southward  through  the  shore  towns  to 
Warwick,  Buttonwoods  and  East  Greenwich ;  to  the  south- 
west through  the  Pawtuxet  \^alley  towns,  Thornton  and 
Hughesdale ;  northward  to  Centerdale  along  the  Woonasqua- 
tucket  River ;  also  southward  along  the  east  shore  to  River- 
side, Warren  and  Bristol. 


209 


Report  ox  Traction  Improvement. 

UNION  RAILROAD  DIVISION. 

The  limits  of  the  Union  Railroad  Division  may  be  defined 
in  general  as  practically  identical  with  the  five-cent  zone, 
i.  e.,  up  to  the  Providence  City  line,  with  the  following  ex- 
ceptions, all  of  which  are  indicated  by  coding  on  the  map  of 
the  Division,  Plate  V:  In  North  Providence — Branch  ave- 
nue to  Woodville;  Smith  street  to  Centerdale ;  Plainfield 
street  to  Hughesdale ;  Cranston  street  to  Oaklawn ;  Elmwood 
avenue  to  Auburn  and  Eden  Park;  Proad  and  Eddy  streets 
to  Edgewood  and  Pawtuxet;  and  all  East  Providence  lines 
to  the  City  line,  except  to  old  Barrington  Road  on  the  River- 
side line.  On  account  of  this  extension  beyond  the  city  lines 
it  has  been  desirable  to  base  certain  calculations  regarding 
service  upon  the  five-cent  zone  instead  of  the  city  limits. 

Income  Account.  Annual  fiscal  reports  of  the  Company 
to  the  Railroad  Commissioners  furnished  the  basis  of  the 
analysis  of  income,  Table  2,  and  shown  graphically  on  Fig.  9. 
Traffic.  Detailed  operating  records  are  not  available  prior 
to  the  calendar  year  1907,  during  which  the  property  was 
taken  over  by  the  present  management.  These  records  com- 
prise car  miles,  passenger  earnings,  total  passengers  carried 
and  car  mile  ratios,  that  is,  passengers  and  earnings  per  car 
mile.     See  Figs.  7  and  18,  Tables  7  and  17. 

Service.  The  basis  of  all  analysis  of  service  furnished 
during  the  winter  season  is  given  by  the  winter  schedule. 
Table  20.  which  represents  the  standard  to  which  the  Com- 
pany endeavors  to  adhere  during  this  season.  This  schedule 
gives  the  actual  assignment  of  seating  capacity  and  headway 
for  the  various  routes  in  detail. 

210 


Appendix. 

Taxes.  The  City  of  Providence  taxes  the  Union  Railroad 
franchise  on  the  basis  of  its  earnings  in  Providence.  Table  3 
gives  these  taxes  in  detail  since  1893.  The  gross  earnings 
assignable  to  Providence  are  determined  by  prorating  all  the 
earnings  of  the  Union  Railroad  Division  to  the  earnings 
within  Providence  in  proportion  of  the  total  miles  of  single 
track  to  the  mileage  within  the  City.  Upon  these  earnings  the 
Union  Railroad  paid  up  to  1897  3%  of  its  gross  earnings 
and  5%  since  then.  An  additional  property  tax  increased  the 
total  imposed  by  the  City  to  7.1%  of  the  gross  earnings  within 
the  City  for  1910.  Table  4  gives  the  taxes  and  earnings  in 
detail  since  1893.  This  percentage  of  total  city  taxes  had 
gradually  increased  year  by  year  from  about  6.5%  ten  years 
ago. 

Pozver.  The  lines  of  Providence  and  vicinity  are  all  served 
from  a  single  power  station  of  16,300  k.  w.  capacity,  located 
at  Manchester  and  Eddy  streets  on  tide  water.  From  this 
point  both  positive  and  negative  copper  radiates  in  all  direc- 
tions, the  longest  one-way  distribution  being  to  Esmond  and 
to  Oaklawn,  about  seven  miles  distant.  All  power  is  trans- 
mitted through  overhead  trolley  system,  except  the  mechanical 
counterbalance  up  the  College  Hill  grade. 

Alternating  current  is  generated  at  this  station  in  addition 
to  direct  current  for  transmission  at  11,000  volts  to  suburban 
sub-stations  of  the  Rhode  Island  Company  at  Westcott,  River- 
view,  Attleboro,  Pawtucket,  and  Barrington.  An  A.  C.-D.  C. 
rotary  converter  is  also  installed  at  the  power  station  in 
order  that  the  local  direct  current  distribution  may  be  assisted 
from  the  alternating  current  end  in  times  of  peak  load.  To 
minimize  the  electrolysis,  negative  copper  returns  are  installed 

211 


Report  ox  Traction  Improvement. 


from  such  important  points  as  Olneyville  Square,  Cranston, 
Edgewood,  Auburn,  Smith  and  Branch  avenues,  and  to  Broad- 
way Six  Corners  and  Riverside,  the  last  a  distance  of  about 
seven  and  a  half  miles. 

Car  Houses.  Of  the  nine  operative  car  houses,  seven  are 
for  the  City  service  and  two  for  the  suburbans.  (See  Equip- 
ment Table  14).  All  other  lines  are  served  in  barns  of  in- 
dependent companies.  The  total  capacity  of  the  city  car 
houses  is  about  600  cars.  Practically  half  of  the  storage 
capacity  of  the  newer  barns  is  reserved  for  ofif-season 
equipment. 

Rolling  Stock.  For  the  entire  system  a  total  of  828  cars 
was  reported  in  1910,  approximately  half  of  which  represent 
open  summer  cars  (see  Equipment  Table  10).  The  "winter 
schedule  for  the  Union  Division  calls  for  331  cars,  while  410 
cars  are  now  available  (including  the  fifty  new  box  cars)  for 
winter  and  353  for  summer.  The  balance,  79  cars,  are  used 
outside  of  Providence  or  held  in  reserve.  Neglecting  the 
equipment  assigned  to  the  Providence  &  Burrillville  Ry.,  (10 
cars),  out  of  the  753  cars  on  Union  Division,  although  half 
of  them  are  winter  cars,  the  seating  capacity  represented  is 
less  than  two-thirds  of  the  summer  equipment.  Furthermore, 
out  of  the  entire  rolling  stock  for  Providence  District,  25% 
of  the  cars  are  of  the  old  single  truck  type  aggregating  only 
16  2-3%  of  the  total  seating  capacity.  The  new  Bradley 
equipment  recently  placed  in  service  rei)rescnted  an  increase 
of  18.2%  of  the  winter  seating  capacity. 


212 


TABLE    1. 


ANALYSIS  OF  OWNERSHIP. 


The  Rhode  Island  Company. 


Xcw  York,  Xew  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroad  Company 
owns 

Providence  Securities  Company  (holding  company) 
owns 

Rhode   Island    Company    (operating  company  chartered   April 
13,  1902) 

1 — Owns 

Woonsocket  Street  Railway  (purchased  in  1907) 
Providence  &  Burrillville  Railway   (purchased  in  1907) 
Columbian  Street  Railway  (purchased  in  1907) 

2 — Leases 

Pawtucket  Street  Railway  (leased  in  1902) 
Rhode  Island  Suburban  Railway  (leased  in  1904) 
Union  Railroad  Company 
leased 

Providence  Cable  Tramway  Company  (leased  in  1895) 

Report-City  of  Providence. 

Authority-American  Street  Railway  Investments. 


213 


i 


VSIS   OF  RHODE 

On 

Pekc 

1904. 

$2,754,655.39 

$3, 

2,703,115.00 

3, 

98.2 

$608,671.00 

$i 

1,066,691.00 

1,: 

38.7 

$1,675,363.00 

$l,J 

60.8 

$167,137.00 

$ 

6.1 

$1,842,500.00 

$2,( 

66.9 

$742,862.00 

$1,( 

27.0 

$169,293.  Ca) 

'"$ 

912,155.  fa) 

1, 

33.1 

$92,054.00 

$ 

151,570.00 

243,624.00 

8.9 

54,484,754.00 

62, 

257.64 

693 

4.97c 

5.05c 

$10,690 

(h)   r.asis  of  Crimp 

TABLE  2 


TABLE  2. 

ANALYSIS  OF  RHODE  ISLAND 

COMPANY'S  RETURNS  FOR  RHODE  ISLAND 

On 

Percentage  of 

Income — Year  Ending  June  30th 

1903. 

1904. 

1905. 

1906. 

1907. 

1908. 

1909. 

1910. 

Receipts  from  all  sources 

$2,584,163.57 

$2,754,655.39 

$3,242,972.54 

$3,561,242.29 

$3,859,715.15 

$4,217,022.57 

$4,192,957.94 

$4,502,922  69 

Passenger  Receipts 

2,537,683.00 

2,703,115.00 

3,123,124.00 

3,435,968.00 

3,7  34,524  00 

3,958,708.00 

3,892,059.00 

4,170,326.00 

Percentage 

98.2 

98.2 

96.5 

93.9 

92.8 

92.6 

General  Operating  Expense,  in 

eluding  Maintenance 

$703,426.00 

$608,671.00 

$557,420.00 

$625,103.00 

$2,419,221.00 

$772,310.00 

$818,332.00 

$964,391.00 

Salaries  and  Wages 

948,353.00 

1,066,691.00 

1.303,567.00 

1,277,529.00 

1,801,364.00 

1,495,022.00 

1,573,295  00 

Percentage 

36.7 

38.7 

35.9 

35.6 

Total 

$1,651,779.00 

$1,675,363.00 

$l,860,987j00 

$1,902,632.00 

$2,419,221.00 

$2,573,674!oO 

$2,313,954.00 

«2,537,6Sf.  00 

Percentage 

03.9 

60.3 

53.4 

62.7 

55.2 

Taxes 

$142,955.00 

$167,137.00 

$205,832.00 

$256,398.00 

$260,311,00 

$286,997,00 

$289,292.00 

$300,683.00 

Percentage 

5.5 

6,1 

7.2 

6.7 

O.S 

0.9 

0.7 

Operating  Expenses  and  Taxe 

$1,794,735.00 

$1,842,500.00 

$2,066,819.00 

$2,159,031.00 

$2',C79,532,00 

$2,860,071.00 

$2,603,248.00 

$2,838,369.00 

Percentage 

69.4 

66.9 

63.7 

60.6 

69.4 

67.9 

62.1 

63.0          65.37 

Rentals 

$757,306.00 

$742,862.00 

$1,050,142.00 

$1,057,405.00 

$1,070,481.00 

$1,061,642.00 

$1,065,792,00 

$1,065,792.00    average 

Percentage 

20.3 

27.0 

32.4 

27.7 

25.2 

25.4 

23.6 

Dividends 

$425,520.00 

$510,624.00 

$io,'s8ii,ou' 

'$116,288.00 
178,421.00 

Surplus 

$32,lisl(a) 

$169,293.^1) 

$126,011.00 

$344,807.00 

43'.687!o0 

62',94l'.00 

Total 

798,418.(a) 

912,155.  (a) 

1,176,153.00 

1,402.212.00 

I,lSo',I83,00 

1,356,351.00 

1,589,710.00 

1,664,553.00 

Percentage 

30.6 

33.1 

36.3 

39.4 

30.6 

32.1 

37.9 

37.0 

Maintenance  of  Wav 

$133,211.00 

$92,054.00 

$115i700.00 

$142,054.00 

$336,516,00 

$200,452.00 

$189,295,00 

$292,686.00 

Maintenance  of  Cars 

167.907.00 

151,570.00 

197,860.00 

201.604.00 

224,321,00 

280,057.00 

225,283.00 

217,409.00 

Total 

301,178.00 

243.624.00 

313,560.00 

343.658.00 

500,837.00 

546.509.00 

414,578.00 

510.095.00 

Percentage 

11.6 

8.9 

9.7 

9.7 

14.5 

12.9 

9.9 

11,3 

Revenue  Passengers 

51,113,851.00 

54,484,754.00 

62.763,002.00 

68,609.556.00 

66,404.782.00 

80,173,643.00 

77,009,378.00 

82,792.929.00 

Single  Track  Mileage 

249.90 

257.64 

262.87 

265.14 

307.59 

31.3.55 

315.76 

317.28 

Number  Passenger  Cars 

682 

692 

725 

765 

824 

829 

823 

828 

Passeneer  Earnings  per  Reve 

mie  Passenger 

4.97c 

4.97c 

4.9SC 

5,00c 

5.62c(b) 

4.94c 

5.01c 

5.03c 

Gross    Earnings    per    Revenue 

Passenger 

5  0fic 

5.05c 

5.17c 

5,19c 

5.82c(b) 

5,26c 

5,41c 

5.44c 

Total    Receipts    per    mile    o 

single  track 

$10,340 

$10,690 

$12,340 

$13,430 

$12,530 

$13,470 

$13,290 

$14,290 

fal  Computed. 

(h)  Ra^iis  of  Comparison  qncs 

ionahle. 

n 


TABLE  3. 


RECORD  OF  GROWTH  OF  RHODE  ISLAND  COMPAXY 


For  Union  Railroad  Company  and  City  of  Providence. 


Gross   Earnings   from   Operation 
Calendar  Year.        Union  R.   R.  City  of 

Division.  Prov. 


Single  Track   Operated 

Union   R.   R.  City  oi 

Division.  Prov. 


1893 $1,122,224.66 

1894 1,346,835.81 

1895 1,460,879.19 

1896 1,507,787.93 

1897 1,515,908.31 

1898 1,552,934.63 

1899 1.754,653.15 

1900 1,953,798.53 

1901 2,178,101.23 

1902 2,221,943.23 

1903 2,444,795.95 

1904 2,536,351.57 

1905 2,681,436.68 

1906 2,849,884.64 

1907 3,099.530.38 

1908 2,966.151.24 

1909 3,121,016.32 

1910 3.315,149.97 


$730,691.39 

64.44 

40.55 

773,011.89 

69.72 

43.16 

874,043.07 

73.40 

44.98 

921,531.22 

77.93 

46.96 

906,047.61 

77.93 

46.96 

945,393.43 

83.93 

50.71 

1,042,172.66 

84.40 

51.28 

1,158,588.54 

121.43 

73.93 

1,308,333.82 

130.20 

77.00 

1,313,491.57 

131.19 

77.99 

1,453,976.33 

135.95 

81.14 

1,501,950.62 

138.04 

81.16 

1,568,370.73 

140.10 

81.82 

1,689,495.53 

145.42 

84.82 

1,796,960.13 

149.48 

86.44 

1,723,551.38 

151.30 

88.30 

1,817,929.51 

152.74 

88.68 

1,923,625.69 

152.74 

88.68 

Report-City  of   Providence. 
Authoritv-Rhode  Island  Co. 


2i: 


TABLE  4. 


TAXRS    PAID    BV    RHODE    ISLAND    CO.MPAXY    IX    CITY    OF 

PROVIDEXCE. 

Union  Railroad  Division. 


Calendar    Year. 

1893 

1894 

1895 

1896 

1897 

1898 

1899 

1900 

1901 

1902 

1903 

1904 

1905 

1906 

1907 

1908 

1909 

1910 


Franchise. 
$21,920.72 

Property. 
$10,101.44 

Total. 
$32,022.16 

Percent. 
Gross 
Earnings. 
4.38 

23,190.33 

13,973.76 

37,164.09 

4.79 

26,231.29 

15,594.24 

41,825.53 

4.79 

27,167.32 

16,089.48 

43,256.80 

4.70 

27,181.43 

16,564.35 

43,745.78 

4.83 

45,329.38 

18,946.29 

64,275.67 

6.80 

48.721.27 

18,847.62 

67,568.89 

6.48 

54,728.04 

21,054.44 

75,782.48 

6.55 

62,427.48 

22,279.36 

84,706.84 

6.48 

62,779.14 

23,149.44 

85,928.58 

6.53 

69,526.31 

23,386.11 

92,912.32 

6.39 

71,908.76 

24,889.26 

96,798.02 

6.45 

75,066.73 

38,3X)7.72 

113,374.45 

^.23 

80,925.75 

38,252.61 

119,178.36 

7.07 

86,172.05 

40,142.85 

126,314.90 

7.03 

82,737.54 

43,671.87 

126,409.41 

7.34 

87,303.50 

43,920.36 

131,223.86 

7,24 

92,394.01 

43,980.42 

136,374.43 

7.10 

$1,045,711.05 

$473,151.62 

$1,518,862.67 

Report-City  of  Providence. 
.A.uthority-Rhode  Island  Company. 


2l6 


TABLE  5. 


EARXIXGS   PER  CAPITA— RHODE   ISLAND   COMPANY 
SYSTEM. 


Earnings. 

Population. 

Earnings 
Per  Capita 

1900 

359,944 

1903 . 

..$2,584,453.00 

383,000 

(Est.) 

$6.75 

1905. 

.  .    3,242,972.00 

407,171 

7.97 

1910. 

.  .    4,502,922.00 

465,983 

9.67 

1915. 

.  .    5,515,000.00 

(Est.) 

515,000 

10.70 

1920. 

.  .    6.720,000.00 

569,000 

11.80 

1925. 

.  .    7,970,000.00 

620,000 

12.85 

The  population  of  the  following  towns  and  cities  is  included  in  the 
above  statement : 


Barring'ton 
Bristol 
Burrillville 
Central  Falls 
Cranston 
Cumberland 
East  Greenwich 
East  Providence 
Johnston 


Lincoln 

North  Providence 

North  Smithfield 

Paw  tucket 

Providence 

Smithfield 

Warren 

Warwick 

Woonsocket 


Report-City  of  Providence. 
Authoritv-l'.  S.  Census. 


217 


TABLE  6. 


GROSS  EARNINGS  PER  MILE  OF  TRACK  IN  PROVIDENCE. 

Basis  of  Single  Track. 

Gross  Earnings 
Calendar  Year.  per  mile,  single  track 

1893 $18,000 

1894 17,890 

1895 19.420 

1896 \9,590 

1897 19,260 

1898 18,620 

1899 20,300 

1900 15,640 

1901 16,970 

1902 16,830 

1903 17,920 

1904 18,490 

1905 19,160 

1906 19,900 

1907 20,760 

1908 19,520 

1909 20,460 

1910 21,960 

Note:     Includes   Johnston   annexation   and   lines   of   Providence   Cable 
Tramway. 

Earnings  per  mile  of  track  for  Union  Division  practically  indentical 
owing  to  method  of  prorating  City  Earnings  on  a  basis  of  single  track 
mileage  within  or  without  the  City  limits. 

.■\uthoritv-Citv  Records. 


2l8 


TA 

BLE  7. 

Monthly 

Record  of  ( 

3ar  Mileage 

Operated — Union  Division 

1907-1910 

Uniform  Month. t 

Revenue 

Passenger 

Total  Pas- 

Revenue 

Total 

Month. 

Car  Miles 

Earnings  per 

sengers  per 

Car  Miles. 

Passengers. 

Actual. 

Car  Mile. 

Car  Mile. 

1907 

$;9,538,512 

$31.99 

7.50 

$9,538,500 

71,450,000 

Jan. 

747,827 

29.55 

6.82 

731.800 

4,990,000 

Feb. 

669,205 

29.79 

6.89 

726,600 

5,005,000 

Mar. 

753,957 

30.43 

7.02 

739,800 

5,195,000 

April 

751,762 

31.02 

7.18 

761,900 

5,470,000 

May 

813,399 

32.37 

7.57 

798,000 

6.040.000 

June 

839,012 

34.65 

8.15 

850,300 

6,930,000 

July 

911,667 

36.13 

8.57 

894,200 

7,660,000 

August 

904,269 

35.80 

8.45 

888,700 

7,508,000 

Sept. 

811,308 

32.01 

7.60 

822,000 

6,245,000 

Oct. 

790.675 

30.85 

7.29 

776,000 

5,655,000 

Nov. 

762,574 

30.05 

7.07 

773,000 

5.465,000 

Dec. 

782,857 

29.16 

6.84 

768,400 

5,255,000 

1908 

9,070.234 

31.94 

7.58 

9,070,200 

68,750,000 

Jan. 

749,881 

28.09 

6.63 

735,600 

4,876,000 

Feb. 

691,271 

29.78 

7.04 

724,600 

5.100,000 

Mar. 

723.910 

28.92 

6.85 

710,200 

4,864,000 

April 

704.208 

30.95 

7.30 

713,800 

5,210,000 

May 

759,378 

33.71 

8.00 

745,200 

5,960,000 

June 

792,380 

35.40 

8.42 

803,400 

6,760,000 

July 

840.862 

34.53 

8.29 

825,400 

6,821.000 

.•\ugust 

838,775 

33.74 

8.12 

824,500 

6,693,000 

Sept. 

770,227 

32.85 

7.85 

780,500 

6,126,000 

Oct. 

752,632 

31.69 

7.49 

738,400 

5,535,000 

Nov. 

707,833 

31.02 

7.31 

717,400 

5,223,000 

Dec. 

738,877 

31.44 

7.35 

724,900 

5,328,000 

1909 

9,106.091 

33.29 

7.88 

9.106,100 

71,750,000 

Jan. 

721,635 

29.81 

7.03 

707,900 

4.975,000 

Feb. 

652,595 

30.83 

7.28 

709,200 

5.160,000 

Mar. 

729.736 

29.85 

7.05 

715,800 

5,045,000 

April 

721,923 

32.01 

7.54 

731,600 

5.508,000 

May 

779,413 

34.06 

8.08 

764,400 

6,176,000 

June 

794,376 

36.28 

8.62 

805,300 

6,940,000 

July 

849.382 

36.14 

8.62 

833,400 

7,191,000 

August 

843,308 

35.63 

8.55 

827,600 

7,073,000 

Sept. 

777,847 

34.22 

8.12 

788,300 

6,400.000 

Oct. 

755,618 

33.40 

7.89 

741,500 

5,850,000 

Nov. 

727,305 

32.94 

7.77 

736,800 

5.724.000 

Dec. 

752,953 

32.81 

7.66 

748,800 

5,738,000 

1910 

9,427,789 

34.07 

8.10 

9,427,800 

76.300,000 

Jan. 

749,171 

31.77 

7.53 

734,800 

5.535,000 

Feb. 

686.430 

31.34 

7.42 

745,700 

5.529.000 

Mar. 

767,448 

31.37 

7.41 

752.500 

5.577,000 

April 

759.798 

32.79 

7.74 

770.000 

5.960.000 

May 

805.521 

34.48 

8.21 

790.000 

6.492.000 

June 

792,574 

36.42 

8.67 

803,400 

6.960.000 

July 

876.331 

37.38 

8.96 

861,600 

7.719,000 

August 

852,560 

36.03 

8.66 

836,600 

7.240.000 

Sept. 

806.233 

3.5.15 

8.41 

817,200 

6.870.000 

Oct. 

786.470 

34.33 

8.15 

772.000 

6.288.000 

Nov. 

755.617 

32. 8S 

7.80 

765,800 

5.973.000 

Dec. 

789,636 

.33.66 

7.92 

774.600 

6.134.000 

Authority-Rhode  Isl 

and  Co. 

t  Compi 

Lited  to  four  fi 

gures  only. 

219 


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TABLE  11. 


TYPICAL  SCHEDULE  SPEED— ALVLX  THOROUGHFARES. 


R 

ipid 

Street.                        Dist.  Time 

M  H 

Pawtuckct  av..  East  Prov.  7170 

5 

16.;; 

Smithfield  av.                        6550 

5 

14.9 

Cranston  st.                            6320 

5 

14.3 

North  Main  st.                      6270 

5 

14.2 

Eddv  St.  &  New  York  av.  5380 

5 

12.2 

Smith  St.                                    5270 

5 

12.0 

Branch    av.                             1895 

2 

10.8 

Butler  av.                             4585 

5 

10.4 

Broad  s't.  (Express)            5800 

5 

13.2 

Location. 
Water  Tower — Vanity  Fair 
City  Line — W'eeden  st. 
Nichols  St.— Meshan't  Pk.  T.O. 
Jenkins  st. — Car  House 
Thurbers  av. — N.  Y.  av.  T.  O. 
Elmhurst  av. — State  HomeT.O. 
Cushing  av. — Terminus 
Banigan  T.O. — Boulevard  T.O. 
Trinity  Sq. — Thurbers  av. 


Medium 

Broadway  4125     5      9.4  Dean  9t. — Barton  st. 

Broad  st.  3895     5      8.8  Winter  St.— Public  st. 

North    Main   st.  3660     5      8.3  Smith  st. — Branch  av. 

Waterman  and  Wayland    4140     5      9.4  Thayer  st. — Banigan  T.  O. 

Wickenden  &Tockwotton   4050     5      9.2  South   Main  st. — Gano  st. 


Slow. 


Westminster  st.  2940 

Cranston  st.  2870 

Elmwood  av.  2860 

South  Water  &  So.  Main  2800 
Eddy  St.  2650 

Broad  st.  2600 


5 

6.7 

5 

6.5 

5 

6.5 

5 

6.4 

5 

6.0 

5 

5.9 

Mathewson  st. — Winter  st. 
Winter  st. — Parade  st. 
Winter  st. — Wesleyan  a  v. 
Market  sq. — Wickenden  st. 
Public  St. — Thurbers  av. 
Public  St. — Thurbers  av. 


City  Terminal. 
College,  Prospect.  West,     1600     5       3.6     Market  Sq. — Brown  st. 
Dorrance  &  Weybosset       1800     5      4.1     City  Hall— Market  Sq. 
Westminster  &  Dorrance   1550     5      3.5     Market    Sq. — Exchange    Place 
Westminster  st.  1400     5      3.2     Turks   Head — ]\Lathe\vson  st. 

Dorrance  &  Westminster     1660     5       3.8     L^nion  Station — Mathewson  st. 


Report-City  of  Providence. 
Authority-Rhode  Island  Co. 
Routes.") 


(Five-minute   Schedule   Speed   Sheets  by 


223 


TABLE  12. 


DISTRIBUTION  OF  STOPPING  POINTS. 
Settlei3  Districts  of  Providence. 


Mean 
Mileage.        Number  of     Stops  per     Interval 
Stops.  Mile.  in  Feet. 


ll'eybosset  and  Broad  Streets, 

Dorrance  St.  to  Trinity  Sq.         0.91  23  25.3 

H'cstmiiister  Street, 

Turks   Head  to  Hoyle  Sq.  0.83  21  25.3 

A  ortli  Main  Street, 

Market  Sq.  to  Mill  St.  0.44  11  25.0 


209 


209 


211 


So.  Main  and  IVickcnden  Streets, 

Market  Sq.  to  Traverse  St.  0.70  15  21.5  246 

Broad  Street, 

Trinity  Sq.  to  City  Line  2.22  44  19.8  266 


Elmzi'ood  Avenue, 

Trinity  Sq.  to  City  Line  2.64  50  19.0 


279 


Union  Station  to  Chalkstone 

Avenue  Terminus  2.43  47  19.3  273 

ll'ateruian  Street, 

Prospect  St.  to  Red  Bridge         1.28  26  20.3  260 

Entire  City  (25  Linis)v  104.835  2278  21.7  243 

tThese  figures  are  not  limited  strictly  to  the  City  boundaries,  nor  do 
they  include  all  lines;  they  represent  conditions  that  arc  generally 
prevalent  in  well-settled  districts. 

Report-City  of  Providence. 
Authority-Rhode  Island  Co. 


224 


TABLE  13. 

LI.MI  TI'l)    EXPRESS    SUBURBAN    SERVICE 
Providence  District. 


WASHINGTON  PARK— Via  Eddy  to  Edgewood  and  Pawtuxet.  In- 
bound during  the  morning,  outbound  during  the  evening 
rush  hour,  first  stop  outbound  and  last  stop  inbound,  New 
York  Avenue. 

BUTTON  WOODS— Via  Broad  and  private  right  of  way.  First  stop 
and  last  stop  Warwick  Avenue  Junction. 

BUTTONWOODS— Via   Elmwood   and   private   right  of    way.     First 

stop  and  last  stop  Park  Avenue. 

RIVERPOINT — Via  Elmwood  and  Pontiac  Avenue.  First  and  last 
regular  express  stop  Davis  Turnout,  South  Auburn.  Spe- 
cial City  express  stops  inbound  and  outbound  Carlisle 
Street  and  Roger  Williams  Park. 

EAST  GREENWICH — Via  Elmwood  and  Apponaug  Road.  Outbound 
express,  first  stop  Reservoir  Avenue  Junction,  Columbus 
Park.  Inbound,  local,  all  stops  except  when  City  car  fol- 
lows unloaded,  when  express  may  omit  regular  stops. 

ROCKY  POINT — Via  Broad  and  iprivate  right  of  way  sununer  only, 
express  stops  same  as  Buttonwoods. 

SOUTH  ATTLEBORO— Via  North  Main  and  Pawtucket,  first  stop 
and  last  stop,  State  line. 

WOONSOCKET— Via  North  Main  and  Charles,  first  stop  and  last 
stop,  Hagan's  Switch,  just  beyond  City  line. 

ATTLEBORO.  NORTH  ATTLEBORO,  FALL  RIVER.  WARREN 
&  BRISTOL,  TAUNTON  AND  DANIELSON  LINES— 
All  make  local  stops  within  City  both  inbound  and  out- 
bound. 

Explanatory  Note :  These  expresses  are  designed  to  avoid  imposing  a 
local  short  haul  load  upon  a  full  car  of  long  haul  riders 
beyond  the  City  terminus  and  the  points  designated  as  first 
stop  and  last  stop,  respectively.  Local  riders  are  not  per- 
mitted entrance  or  exit  on  the  outbound  trip  unless  they 
are  willing  to  do  so  while  the  car  is  in  motion.  Thus,  the 
Buttonwoods  express  loads  with  long  distance  riders  all 
the  way  out  Broad  Street,  and  vice  versa  unloads  inbound, 
bhould  any  local  passengers  board  the  car  along  with  the 
suburban  passengers  a  transfer  is  refused  by  the  announce- 
ment of  the  conductor  "No  transfers."  A  long  distance 
rider,  however,  upon  the  payment  of  his  last  fare  within 
the  City  limits  may  obtain  a  transfer. 


TABLE  14. 


SCHEDULE  OF  CAR  HOUSES. 
For  Lines  Operating  in  Providence. 


Operating  Car  Houses.  Capacity. 

Thurbers  Ave.,  corner  Broad  St.,  190-40  ft.  cars. 

Elmwood  Ave.,  corner  Thackery  St.,  112-40  "      " 

North  Main  St.,  at  City  Line,  116-40  "      " 

Academy  Ave.,  south  of  Srnith  St.,  50-40  "      " 

Hartford  Ave.,  west  of  Olneyville  Sq.,  96-40  "       " 

Traverse  St.,  corner  Pike  St.,  37-40  "      " 

Riverside,  Pawtucket  Ave.,  corner  River  Ave.,  51-40  "      *' 

Arlington,  Cranston  St..  west  of  Webster  Ave.,  36-40  *" 

Storage  Car  Houses. 

Chalkstone  Ave.,  near  Academy  Ave.,  27-40  "      " 

Branch  Ave.,  near  City  Line,  14-40  "       " 

Repair  Sliop. 

Cranston  St.,  west  of  Xew  Haven  tracks. 

Report-City  of  Providence. 
Authority — Rliode  Lsland  Company. 


22C) 


TABLE   15. 


STUDY  OF  TERMIXAL  LOADING  TIME 

AND 

AVER.\GE  LENGTH  OF  STOPS. 


Szi'itcliiiig  Stiitinns. 

Xo.     1    — Electric  Switch  on  Dorrance  St.,  at  Fulton  st. — inbound. 

Xo.     2    — On  Washington  St.,  at  Dorrance  st. — inbound. 

Xo.     3    — On  Dorrance  st.,  at  Wejbosset  st. — outbound. 

Xo.     3A — On  W'eybosset  St.,  at  Dorrance  st. — outbound. 

X'o.     4    — On  Westminster  st.,  at  Market  Square — northbound. 

No.     4A — On  Westminster  st.,  at  Canal  st. — southbound. 

No.     5    — On  X'orth  Main  st.,  at  Thomas  st. — outbound. 

No.     6    — ^On  Wiestminster  st.,  at  Mathewson  st. — outbound. 

No.     7    — On  Washington  st.,  at  Mathewson  st. — outbound. 

No.     8    — On  Weybosset  st.,  at  Richmond  st. — outbound. 

No.     9    — On  Washington  st.,  at  Jackson  st. — outbound. 

No.  10    — On  North  Main  st.,  at  Mill  st. — outbound. 

Total  Number  Stations,  10 

Total  Number  Stops,  123 

Total  Time  consumed,  1,134     seconds 

Average  Time  Per  stop  8.7       " 

Average  Time  per  passenger,  " 

Average  Number  Passengers, 

Average  Time  for  Switching,  6  " 

Dorrance  street  north  of  U'cstm'uister  strcct- 
P.  M. 

Number  cars  passing. 

Number  Stops  made, 

Total  Number  Seconds, 

Total  Passengers  entering. 

Average  Time  per  Passenger. 

Average  Time  per  stop. 
Thirteen  Trip  Counts. 

Number  Stops, 

Time. 

Average  Time  per  Stop, 

Minimum  Individual  Route  average, 

Maximum.  Individual  Route  average, 

Report-City  of  Providence. 
.Authority- Actual  Observations. 


227 


et—Out\ 

>ound — 5:35  to  6:35 

90 

90 

1,211 

468 

2.58     seconds 

13.45     " 

137 

84  min. 

45  sec 

9.4    seconds 

6.3 

(Auburn) 

14.2 

(Manton) 

TABLE   16. 


PROPOSED   REROUTING  PLANS   FOR   LOADING   DISTRICT. 
Comparison  ok  Car  Flow  bv  Vakjous  Plans  in  Cars  per  Hour. 


Streets 
Weybosset,  Turks  Head — Dorrance 
"  Dorrance,  Mathewson  E. 

"  Dorrance.  Mathewson  W. 

"  Mathewson — Chestnut  E. 

Mathewson — Chestnut  W. 
Westminster,   Turks   Head — Dorrance 
Dorrance — Mathewson 
"  Mathewson  W. 

Washington.  Mathewson — Dorrance  E. 
•'  Mathewson — Dorrance  W. 

Exchange  Place  E. 
Exchange  Place  W. 
Mathewson — Washington — Westminster 

Westminster — Weybosset 
Dorrance.  Wej^bosset — Westminster  N. 
"  Weybosset — Westminster  S. 

"  Westminster — Washington    N, 

"  Westminster — Washington    S. 


Note :     Plan  A.  suggested  by  Rhode  Island  Co. 

"      B.  ideal  plan  based  on  street  capacity. 

"      C.   modified   plan    B,   embodying  concessions  to  shopping 

district. 
"      D.  same  as  C,  except  South  Providence  cars  returning  via 
W^evbosset  street  as  in  Plan  A. 


Present 

Plan 

Plan 

Plan 

Plan 

Routing 

A. 

B. 

C. 

D. 

108 

75 

77 

77 

77 

133 

93 

87 

91 

84 

47 

71 

61 

61 

61 

107 

90 

84 

88 

81 

88 

66 

56 

56 

79 

110 

50 

65 

70 

74 

111 

63 

70 

70 

77 

72 

33 

70 

70 

59 

5.} 

63 

31 

31 

51 

48 

64 

70 

70 

58 

78 

27 

22 

22 

26 

64 

66 

44 

51 

47 

20 

6 

IS 

IS 

26 

58 

34 

18 

18 

44 

66 

52 

41 

45 

32 

76 

54 

44 

44 

38 

73 

59 

53 

62 

49 

84 

74 

55 

55 

58 

Report-City  of  Providence. 
.\utliiirit\-Part.  Rhode  Island  Co. 


228 


TABLE   17, 

ROUTE  RECORD 

,  CAR 

MILE 

AND  SEAT   MILE  RATIOS 

Union  Division  1910. 

J 

['assenger   F.ani- 

Total 

Passengers 

ings   Per  Car 

Per 

Car  Mile. 

Per  Seat  Mile. 

ROUTE. 

Mile— 

■Cenls. 

Vctual   Standard 

.Actual 

Standard 

Passenger 

Total 

Car. 

Car. 

Car. 

Car. 

Earnings 

Passen- 

(4. 

2-seats) 

(42-seats) 

Cents. 

gers. 

Edgewood  &  Pawtuxet 

41 

35 

9.24 

7.81 

0.831 

0.186 

Washington  Park 

42 

36 

9.54 

8.06 

0.86 

0.192 

Thurbers  via  Broad 

Jl 

37 

11.54 

8.36 

0.88 

0.199 

Buttonwoods  via  Broad 

ao 

28 

7.00 

6.58 

0.67 

0.156 

l^'riendship- Admiral 

35 

33 

8.71 

8.27 

0.79 

0.197 

Prairie-Butler-Camp 

35 

48 

8.56 

11.70 

1.14 

0.278 

Ocean-Hope- Pawtiicket 

37 

51 

8.97 

12.28 

1.22 

10.292 

Eddy  to  Edgewood 

37 

35 

9.11 

8.64 

0.S3 

0.206 

Elmwood-Reservoir-Chalk- 

srone 

41 

39 

9.75 

9.26 

0.93 

0.220 

Elmwood-Chalkstone-Roger 

Williams  Park 

47 

11.75 

Broad  way-Elmgrove 

(now   Elmwood) 

31 

7.55 

Auburn- Camp 

36 

34 

8.25 

7.S4 

O.Sl 

0.186 

B  ro  w  n  -  -M  athe  \v  son 

Xew 

Route 

Buttonwoods  via  Elmwood 

32 

31 

7.45 

7.12 

0.74 

0.169 

East  Greenwich 

35 

29 

7.89 

6.50 

0.69 

0.154 

Riverpoint 

31 

28 

6.66 

6.12 

0.67 

0.146 

Oaklawn 

26 

25 

5.59 

5.30 

0.60 

0.126 

Cranston    Print    Works 

40 

38 

9.61 

9.12 

0.90 

0.217 

Arlington 

42 

41 

10.20 

9.90 

0.98 

0.236 

Union  avenue 

39 

38 

9.32 

9.09 

0.90 

0.216 

Dexter-Douglas 

36 

47 

8.74 

11.50 

1.12 

0.274 

Dver  Av. — Swan  Point 

29 

40 

7.11 

9.73 

0.95 

0.231 

Olneyville-Plain  field 

Brook 
Olneyville-Plainfield 

Governor 
Hughesdale 
Thornton 

Hartford-Charles  36- 

Danielson  Connection 
Manton   avenue 
Centerdale  via    Manton 
Promenade 
Broad  way-Rum  ford 
Broad  way-Phillipsdale 
Broadway-Turks  Head 
Academy-Tatmton 
Centerdale-Esmond   via 

Smith 
Pawtucket  via  Main 

and   Garden 
Pawtucket  via  East 

Branch   avenue 

Smith  field   avenue 

Woon socket   Connection 

South  Attleboro  Connection 

North  Attleboro  Connection 

Attleboro   Connection 

Taunton  Connection 

Fall   River  Connection 

Riverside 

Report-City  of  Providence. 

.\uthoritv-Rhode  Island  Co. 


40 


2S 


3S 


10.08 


9.55 


0.90 


6.22 


5.90 


0.64 


0.227 


39 

37 

9.58 

9.09 

0.88 

0.216 

32 

30 

7.52 

7.23 

0.71 

0.172 

39 

37 

9.08 

8.61 

o.ss 

0.205 

■21 

34-20 

9.03-5.53 

8.60-5.27 

0.81-0.4S 

0.205-0.125 

38 

36 

8.08 

8.57 

0.86 

0.204 

26 

25 

6.23 

5.91 

0.60 

0.141 

32 

30 

7.20 

6.83 

0.71 

0.163 

28 

33 

7.53 

8.88 

0.79 

0.211 

29 

40 

6.78 

9.28 

0.95 

0.221 

28 

38 

6.59 

8.96 

0.90 

0.213 

28 

32 

6.37 

7.35 

0.79 

0.175 

39 

39 

9.78 

9.72 

0.93 

0.231 

0.140 


37 

32 

8.94 

7.66 

0.76 

0.182 

33 

24 

7.90 

5.72 

0.57 

0.136 

27 

26 

6.62 

6.28 

0.62 

0.149 

20 

10 

4.47 

4.25 

0.45 

0.107 

38 

36 

8.24 

7.86 

0.86 

0.187 

22 

16 

5.4 

3.64 

0.38 

0.0S7 

30 

28 

9.07 

6.43 

0.67 

0.153 

42 

30 

9.91 

7.03 

0.71 

0.167 

49 

43 

10.40 

9.04 

1.02 

0.215 

29 

28 

6.61 

6.33 

0.67 

0.151 

32 

29 

8.20 

7.53 

0.69 

0.179 

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TABLE    18—6. 


SUMMARY   PASSENGER  COUNTS   BY   TRIPS. 


TRIP  ROUTIi 


Observations. 
Date 


Promenade  Promenade   Broadway  Broadway 
PhUlTpsdale  Phillipsdak    Kumford    Rumford 


Car    Numbers 
Duration   (start 

(end 
Off  Time,   leaving 
(bff  Time,   arriving 
Distance   in    Miles 
Number   of   Stops 
Passengers   On 
Passengers   Off 
Cash    Fares 
Transfers 
Tickets 
Free  Rides 
Total    Fares 
Seat    Capacity 
Total   Time   Stops 
Weather  Conditions 

Results. 
Maximum   Load 

%    Max.    Load    to   Total    Fares 
%   Max.   Load  to   Seating  Capacity 
Average    Haul — Miles 
Schedule    Speed — Miles    per    Hour 
Average     Speed — Actual 
Average    Speed — Less    Stops 
Average  Speed  Outside  Congesttd 

District 
Stops    Per    Mile — Avg. 
Distance    P.etween    Stops — Avg. 
Average    Length    Stops — Seconds 
%   Time   Stops   to    Klapsed   Time 

(a)   9m    1 2s  waits  at    Red   Bridge 


May  5 

May  5 

Mav  5 

Mav  5 

1911 

191! 

1911 

1911 

442 

413 

420 

414 

5:47:4.1 

6:18:10 

5:57 

5:58:35 

6:04:43 

6:58:10 

6:19:25 

6:25 

0:43  L 

1:02  L 

2:00  L 

3:35  L 

2  : 1 7  L 

9:10  L 

4:15  L 

0: 

2.56 

4.44 

2.19 

4.56 

26 

32 

29 

20 

53 

49 

S3 

45 

53 

49 

83 

45 

55 

39 

24 

45 

8 

10 

17 

1 

5 

20 

20 

42 

45 

26 

26 

26 

26 

;m  51s  (i 

i)  14m  Os 

7m  37s 

2  m  10s 

Gear 

Clear 

Clear 

Clear 

38 

47 

55 

44 

190.0 

225.0 

131.0 

97.8 

146.1 

180.8 

211.6 

169.2 

1.53 

2.43 

.88 

3.04 

9.67 

8.63 

6.57 

9.12 

9.04 

(a)  6.66 

5.86 

10.31 

10.85 

10.23 

8.88 

11.14 

9.82 

6.78 

7.28 

10.31 

10.17 

7.21 

13.23 

4.39 

519  ft. 

732  ft. 

398  ft. 

1200  ft. 

6.6   ( 

a)  26.2 

15.8 

6.5 

16.8   ( 

a)  35.0 

34.0 

8.1 

and    Six   Corners  Turnouts. 


235 


TABLE   19. 


RLX  OFF  OR  DEAD  MILEAGE. 
Union  Traction    Division. 

Total   Dead   Mileage. 


Revenue. 

Per  cent. 
Miles,     of  Line. 

86.26          5.46 

Dead. 

Per  cent 
Miles.       of  Line. 

.      Total 
Mileage. 

80.26 

Total 
Per 

cent. 

5.46 

24.82 

11.90 

24.82 

11.90 

48.07 

17.58 

6.61 
5.29 

6.94 

54.68 
5.29 

24.52 

134.33 

36.72 

171.05 

7.98 

0.74 

7.98 

0.74 

41.45 

4.10 

41.45 

4.10 

49.43 

49.43 

28.23 

5.12 

28.20 

5.12 

6.72 

1.75 

6.72 

1.75 

34.. 53 

8.90 

34.53 

8.90 

15.37 

3.02 

15.37 

3.02 

28.23 

56.62 

84.85 

23.60 

2.81 

1.21 

0.14 

24.81 

2.95 

1.01 

1.17 

1.01 

1.17 

0.61 

0.61 

0.61 

0.61 

7.23 

0.74 

0.61 

0.06 

7.84 

0.80 

26.60 

6.02 

1.01 

0.29 

27.61 

6.31 

7.60 

9.16 

0.71 

0.86 

8.31 

10.02 

7.47 

4.53 

7.47 

4.53 

2.5.61 

4.67 

1.21 

0.22 

26.83 

4.89 

35.55 

6.26 

1.21 

0.21 

36.76 

6.47 

1.00 

0.87 

1.60 

0.87 

:'hiiiips- 

2.04 

0.20 

2.64 

0.20 

133.66 

12.43 

146.09 

1.64 

0.16 

19.48 

1.92 

21.12 

2.08 

61.43 

S.35 

20.15 

3.55 

87.58 

11.90 

63.07 

37.78) 

22.53) 

7.96 

6.50) 

) 

2.53 

45.63 

O.SO) 

) 

0.09  )i 
) 

108.70 

38.58) 

22.53) 

7.96 

6.59) 

) 

2.53 

43.50 

8.78 

12.85 

2.60 

56.35 

11.58 

56.74 

8.49 

15.09 

2.30 

7L83 

10.79 

also  large 

168.51 

28.74 

197.25 

527.S0 

2.04 

229.57 

0.89 

757.37 
I.LjS.OO 

2.93 
4.4^ 

Route — From  \\"iiUer  Scliedule 

1-1     Edgewood  &  Pavvtuxet 
1-2     Washington  Park  (Broad) 
1-8     Eddy   St.  (Edgewood) 

1-9     Eddv  St.   (Thurbers  Av.) 

BARN  TOTAL 
2-1     Ehnwood — Chalkstone — Res. 
2-3     Auburn — Camp  St. 

BARX  TOTAL 
4-1     Oaklawn 

4-2     Cran.ston  Print  Works 
4-4     Union  A  v. 
4-5     Dexter  St. — Douglas  Av. 

BARN  TOTAL 
.1-1     Dyer  Av. — Swan  Point 
5-15  Oinevville— T.  FL— Dyer  Av. 
5-2     Olneyville— Brook  St. 
5-3     Olneyville — Governor  St. 
5-4     Oly.— Plainfield— Brk.— Gov. 
5-5     Hughesdale 
5-6     'J'hornton 
5-7     Hartford   Av. 
5-9     Manton  Av. 
5-10  Centerdale  via  Manton 
5-11  Promenade  St. 
5-12.  13,  14  Broadwa\ — Rumford- 

dale — Turks   Head 

BARN  TOTAL 
6-1     Academy  Av. — Taunton   Av. 
6-2     Centerdale  via  Smith  St. 

BARN  TOTAL 
7-1)   Pawtucket— Main     St.        ) 
7-2)   Pawtucket— Garden   St.       ) 
7-3     Pawtucket — East    Av. 
7-5     Branch  A  v. 
7-6     Smith  field   Av. 
7-7     Woonsocket  Connection 

BARN  TOTAL 
TOTAL  ALL  BARNS 
TOTAL,  incuding  SUBURBANS 
TOTAL  Revenue  Car  Mileage  for  System  per  daj — 25,830  car  miles. 
Note. — Revenue  dead  mileage  is  that  part  of  the  total  dead  mileage  over 

occasional  fares  are  taken  to  or  from  the  car  house. 
Report-City  of  Providence. 
.\uthority-Rhode  Island  Co. 


which 


236 


il  Day. 
iiin.) 
) 
"    ) 


Runnl 
Outbound  Inbd 
33  mill. 


20 
30 

min. 


28 

19      " 

51      " 

39      " 

34      " 

37-52P. 
32  min- 
21      " 

40-42m. 

36  min. 

49  " 
15  " 
55  " 
75      " 


35  . 
30 
21 
51 
39 
34 
38-51 

26  ' 

15 

40-'. 

37  1 

49 
15 
55 
75 


mm. 


min. 


() 


85 

44  min. 
30     " 

22  ': 

27  min. 
40     " 

55      " 

18-30D. 

35  min, 

35 

45 

43 


)  min. 
0     " 
0     " 


) 


45  mm. 

28 

40 

45 

15 

50 

49 


85 

44  : 

30 

22 

27  1 
40 

55 

18-a 

35  i 
35 
45 
39 

43  I 

25 

40 

41 

15 

50 

47 


20 


\0      "    )      20 

0-10  21-38TM     21-r 


JO 
JO 
30 

60 

[20 

30 

30 

60 

30 

30 


31 

31 

31 

27 

32 

43 

58 

25 

31 

31 


60  mm. 
30      " 


25  mm. 
25     " 


29 

29 

29 

23 

26 

43 

55 

25 

29 

29 


25 
25 


40 
90 


20      "    )       ^^      . 

60      "    )       90 
ban  Lines.  ..on  V    \ 

nditions  5  .30  to  6  .30  f . 


TABLE  20 


WINTER  SCHEDULE,  RUSH  HOUR.  MIDDAY  AND  NORMAL* 


I  of  1 


:  by  Cai 


1-1  Edgewood  &  Pawtuxet 

1-2  Wasliington  Park 

1-3  Thiirbers  Ave.  via  Broad  St. 

1-4*  Biittonwoods  via  Broad  Sl 

1-5  Friendship-Adnjiral  St. 

1-ti  Prairie-liutler-Camp    St. 

1-7  Ocean-Hope  St.-Fawluckct 

1-8  (Eddy  St.  to  Edgewood 

1-9  (Eddy  Sl  to  Thurbers  Av. 

2-1    Elm  wood- Reservoir-Chalks  tone 

2-3    Elmwood-EImgrove  Av. 

2-3    Auburn-Camp  St. 

2-4     Brown-Mathewson  St. 

2-5*  Buttonwoods  via  Elmwood  .'Vv. 

2-6"  East  Greenwich 

3*     Providence  &  Riverpoint 

4-1  Oaklawn 

4-2  Cranston  Print  Works 

4-3  Arlington 

4-4  Union  Av. 

4-5  Dexter  St,-Douglas  Av. 

5-1     Dyer  Av.-Swan  Point 

5-15  Olncyville.  T.  H.  &  Dyer  Av. 

5-2     (Olneyvi He-Brook  St. 

5-3     (         "        -Governor    St. 

5-4     (Plainfield-Governor-Brook 

5-5     (Hughesdale 

5-6     (Thornton 

5-7     Hartford  Av.-Char!es  St. 

5-8*  Danielson  Connection 

5-9     Manton  Av. 

5-10  Centerdale  via  Manton  Av. 

5-11  Promenade  Street 

5-12  (Broadway-Rumford 

5-13  (Broadway-Phillipsdale 

5-14  Broadway-Turks  Head 

6-1     Academy-Taunton  Av. 
fi-2     Centerdale  &  Esmond  via 
Smith  Street 

7-1     Pawtucket,  Main  St. 
7-2     Pawtiicket,  Garden  St 
7-3     Pawtucket,  Ea<;t  Av, 
7-4     Pawtucket,  Lonsdale  Av. 
7-5     Branch  Av. 
7-6    Smithfield  Av. 
7-7*  Woonsocket  Connection 
7-8*  Somh  Attleboro  Connection 
7-9*  North   Attleboro,    Pawt  Av. 
7-10*Attleboro  Connection 
Pawt,  Av. 


37-52P.        38'53P. 


40-4am.        40-42 


18-30D.        18-30D. 


)      30      "    )      30 


6  775  6.775 

1.36  1.2a 

13.51  13.51 


6-F9A 

8-P6-B^C 

6-0-8-11 


204-30S  1-5 

208-156  1-6 

156-208  1-7 

(340  1-8 

(128  1-9 


f-S.  P.     4-D       78-104 


8  01  &  PI 

(2U4 

3 

(102 

5 

(170 

4-H  2-C 

120-0 

(  8-B 
(  5.R 
(4-P 


(104 
460-204 


^2•  Barrington,  Wan 


10  min 

.)     20     "    )     30     " 

40 

40      ' 

Sl  Bristol          60     " 

)      60     "    )     fio     " 
•  Suburban  Line 

90 

90      ' 

le  based  upon  maxin 

um  service  conditions 

5:30  t 

6:30  P.   M. 

41        15       11 


O 


TABLE  21. 

APPROXIMATE   DESTINATION    OF    MILL   OPERATIVES 
REPORTED  BY  COMPANIES  FROM  CANVASS. 


icaii 
rical 
ks. 

■ral 

DESTINATION'   STREET 
OR   DISTRICT. 

i      c. 
S  V  £ 

eI>     % 

<  —  '*      '^ 

Fire 
Comp 

r.orli 
Man 

0. 

£ 
o 
U 

Location  of  Works. 

Prom- 

South   : 

Phillips- 

■    Aborn. 

South     Elm- 

enade. 

Main. 

dale. 

Auburn,  wood. 

No.  of  men  canvassed 

2912 

238 

505 

(a)269 

(b)398 

394 

Reported  as  walking 

1500 

75 

113 

84 

Reported  as  riding 

1412 

163 

505 

135 

259 

Cranston  Street 

23 

1 

Washington  Park 

63 

6 

11 

South    Providence 

105 

11 

75 

15 

6 

20 

Elmwood 

60 

9 

4 

6 

93 

Auburn  &  Eden  Park 

40 

1 

65 

Arlington 

35 

5 

Cranston 

15 

12 

1 

38 

15 

Smith  Hill 

7 

4 

4) 

Mount  Pleasant 

43 

11 

28) 

East   Side 

70 

30 

55 

s) 

65 

North  End — Branch  Av. — 

) 

Wanskuck 

40 

4 

4) 

Eagle  Park— Admiral  St. — 

) 

North   Side 

56 

3 

) 

Eagle  Park — Admiral  St. — 

No.   Providence  (Smith  st.) 

fin) 

22 

1 

) 

11 

No.  Providence  (Manton  Av.) 

15) 

1 

) 

Smith  field  A  v. 

33 

Saylesville.  etc. 

35 

1 

Buttonwoods  line  beyond  Pawtxt.   28 

3 

3 

4 

Pawtucket 

110 

110 

7 

3 

10 

Johnston 

9 

5 

Edgewood  &  Pawtuxet 

37 

2 

6 

18 

E.Greenwich  line  beyond  Auburn  '2'> 

8 

8 

54 

Riverpoint   Sub. 

4 

5 

10 

Manton 

6 

2 

Olneyville 

295 

13 

17 

30 

E.   Prov.   &   Massachusetts 

88 

57 

Cc)25 

3 

) 

13 

Riverside,  etc. 

95 

55 

10 

1) 

North   Main   street 

3 

1 

Thornton 

3 

Oaklawn.  etc. 

4 

1 

9 

Westminster    street 

5 

75 

Broadwav 

o 

70 

8 

Federal  Hill 

34 

Market  Square 

(d)40 

Uty 

78 

\\  alking    distance 

75 

113 

84 

(a) 

21  use  steam 

road. 

(b) 

55     " 

" 

" 

Report — City  of  Providence 

re) 

To  Ingrahams 

;  Corners 

AuthoritN — Manufacturers. 

(d) 

Probable  end 

of  ride. 

237 


NOTE     OX     ••  XEAR     SIDE "     CAR. 

''  Since  the  delivery  of  this  report  and  while  it  was  being  printed, 
another  moditication  of  the  Prepayment  Car  known  as  the  "Xear-Side"' 
car,  has  been  placed  npon  the  market  and  will  be  first  used  in  Buffalo. 
While  essentially  equivalent  to  the  other  prepayment  types,  it  dift'er* 
from  them,  in  the  use  of  a  single  platform  at  the  front  end,  where  both 
motorman  and  conductor  are  stationed,  thus  being  suited  only  to  single- 
ended  operation.  As  its  name  indicates,  this  type  of  car  is  especially 
adapted  to  stopping  on  the  near  side  of  the  street  opposite  crosswalks. 
In  general,  the  recommendations  of  the  report  are  equally  ;ipplicable  to 
this  as  to  preceding  types  discussed. 

See  Page  109. 


239 


INDEX  TO  TABLES  AND  PLATES. 


DATA    OF    RECORD. 


Tables       In  Appendix  Page 

3 — Analisis  of  ownership  Rhode  Island  Company 213 

2 — Income  distribnition  and  other  data,  R.  I.  Co.  for  State 214 

3 — Record    of    earnings    and    mileage.    City    and    Union    Division, 

1893    to    1910 ■ 21c 

4 — Street  Railway  taxes   City  and   Union   Division,   1893  to   1910, 

percentage   gross   earnings 216 

5 — Earnings  per  capita — Rhode  Island  Co.  system 217 

6 — Gross    earnings    per    mile    of    single    track,    City    and    L^nion 

Division 2IS 

7 — ^ilonthly  record  of  car  mileage,  1907  to  1910 219 

S — Svmimary  of  passenger  counts  at  outlet  throats 220 

9 — Analysis  of  service  at  throats,   10-20-30-60  minutes 221 

10 — Schedule  of  car   equipment 222 

11 — Average  schedule  speed,  typical  streets 22;i 

12 — White  pole  stops,  typical  and  average  spacing 224 

13 — Express   service   in   force 225 

14 — Schedule  of  car  house  capacity. 226 

15 — Average  loading  time,   terminal   and   route 227 

16 — Relative  car-flow  of  proposed  rerouting  plans 228 

17 — Route  record — car  mile  and  seat  mile  ratios 229 

IS — Summary  of  passenger  counts  by  routes    (6  sheets) 230-235 

19 — Dead   mileage  by   routes 236 

20 — Winter  schedule — headway,  mileage,  cars  and  seating  capacity.  238 
21 — Approximate    destination    of    mill    operatives 237 


241 


I'ii^urcs       Curves  ami  Diagrams  in  Report.  Page 

I  —Growth  of  R.  I.   System   tracks,  cars  and   passengers,   1903 

to    1910 33 

:.'      — Growth  in  popuhition  of  City  and  districts,  1875  to  1910 47 

3  — ^Comparative  growth  of  Bank  Clearings,  earnings  and  popu- 

lation, 1891  to  1910 52 

4  — Comparative    growth    in    earnings    and    trackage.    City    and 

Union  Division,   1893  to  1910 54 

5  — Estimated   future  earnings  and  tributary  population,   Rhode 

Island     sysitem 56 

6  — Analysis    of    law    of    growth    of    earnings    and    population 

(logari'thm.ic  plot)    City  of  Providence  only 58 

7  —Record  of  traffic,  earnings  and  car  miles  by  uniform  months, 

1907    to    1911 60 

8  —Standards  of  service  at  outlet  throats 64 

c)      — Financial  operations  of  R.  T.  system,  1902  to  1910 68 

10      — Growth   characteristics,  passengers  and  car  miles 72 

I I  —Relative  area  served  by  250  and  500  ft.  stops 88 

12      — Study  of  loading  'time  with  present  vestibule 110 

i:;      — Photo-typical  prepayment  car  folding  doors  aiul  steps Ill 

14  — Vehicle  widths,  average   observations 147 

1 5  — Typical   vehicle   traffic  flow   diagram 154 

16  — Typical  car  transits,  Dorrance  street 162 

17  — Rerouting  plans  for  So.  Providence  cars 166 

17-A — Plan  proposed  by  Rhudc  1-land  Cnmpan\- 167 

17.p, — Proposed  plan  I)ase(l  on  ideal  car  •.•edistribution 169 

17-C — 17-B  Modified  to  better  roach  retail  district 171 

17-D — Proposed  plan  combining  17-A  and  17-C 1"3 

IS    — Car  mile  ratios  and  %  transfers  by  months  1907  to  1911 178 

H,     —Double  loading  curve  of  a  through  route,  rush  hour 186 

20      — Study  of  reduction  in  speed  with  freciuency  of  stops 188 


242 


Drazi-iiigs  and  Maps  in  Supplementary  Folio. 

Trackage  map  of  district  showing  single  and  double  tracks 
and  location  of  turnouts 

Fare  zone  map  of  Providence  district 

Population,  density  and  growth  of  Providence  district.... 

Population  dot  map  of  City  of  Providence 

Trackage  map  showing  extent  of  Union  R.  R.  Div.  beyond 
the  city  limits 

Typical  throat  counts 

Time  zone  map  of  Providence  district 

Transfer  zone  of  Providence 

Clearance  diagram  for  proposed  car,  single  track,  40  and 
50   ft.   streets 

Clearance  diagram  for  proposed  car,  double  track,  60'  St.. 

Studies  in  seating  and  platform  arrangement,  present  and 
proposed  cars 

Composite  car  plans,  showing  typical  modern  rolling  s.ock. 

Composite  step  elevation.   Providence  and  other  cities.... 

Street  vehicle  clearance  diagrams  for  various  roadways. . . . 

Car-flow  map  of  terminal  district  for  rush  hours 

Car-flow  per  foot  width  of  street  showing  comparative 
congesition  of  thoroujrhf ares 

Comparative  traffic  and  earnings  by  routes  in  1910,  passen- 
gers and  earnings  per  car  mile  reduced  to  hr.sis  of 
standard   car    

Typical  monthly  traffic  variation,  by  routes 

Typical  route  county    XIX. -A. B.C. 

Car  location  map  showing  all  cars  at  6  p.  m.  also  day  and 

rush-hour  headway  of  outlying  lines XX. 


243 


PLATE  I— TRi\CKAGE   MAP— PROVIDENCE  DISTRICT. 
Comprising   all   street   and   interurban    trackage   within  the    Providence   Traction    District 
Island  Co..  but  also  of  the  Fall  River,  Taunton,  Atlleboro.  Danielson  and  Woonsocket 
named  are  foreign  lines       Double  track  is  indicated  bv  heavy  lines,  similarly  turnouts;  building! 
proportion  of  double  track,  for  a  city  so  evenly  settled  as  Providence  is  noticeable. 


only  of   the   Rhode 

All  but  the  last 

coded.      The  small 


II 


Showing,  by  shaded 
from  the  center  of  Providi 
to   Oaklawn   and    Saylesvilli 
with  8  cents  to  Lakcwood. 


PLATE  II— FARE  ZONE  MAP. 
;.  the  limits  of  the  present  5  cent  fare  lone,  also  10  cent  and  15  cent  zones  on  rides 
Note  how  irregularly  the  5  cent  zone  has  been  extended  beyond  the  city  limit,  e.  g.— 
omparcd  with    Phillipsdale  and  the  long  ride  to  Rocky  Point  for  10  cents,  as  compared 


Ill 


3 


PLATE  III— POPULATION.  GROWTH  AND  DENSITY. 
Indicating  by  wards  or  other  minor  civil  divisions.  1st — the  population  in  figures  above  tbe  blocks  and 
by  the  proportional  area  of  the  bloclcs ;  2nd — the  growth  from  1905  to  1910  by  solid  black  portions  of 
the  blocks;  3rd— density  in  persons  per  acre  in  decimals  and  by  shading;  close  spacing  of  lines  representing 
dense  areas  and  vice  versa.  Densities  less  than  one  person  per  acre  are  not  shaded.  Note  comparative 
densities  of  ward  9  (Federal  Hill)  and  ward  2  (East  Side).  Densities  in  other  cities  range  as  high  as  1000 
persons  per  acre    (New  York).     The  growth   appears  quite  uniform  throughout  the  city. 


.^^^ 


^'<^ 


\-* 


+  -^-. 


■•/.•^ 


'.  .  •  ^' 


u- 


IV 


PLATE  IV— DISTRIBUTION  OF  POPULATION. 
Showing  by  means  of  dots  (each  representing  loO  persons)  the  actual  distribution  of  population 
throughout  Providence,  based  upon  the  129  enumerating  districts  of  the  1910  census.  It  accurately  locates 
sleeping  population.  Note  the  uniform  distribution  with  the  exception  of  outer  Smith  street  and  the  upper 
East  Side.  Only  one  center  of  congestion  appears— Federal  Mill.  The  absence  of  double  track  in  manv  sections 
of  consider.ible  density  is  notict-ablc.  e    g.— Manton  and  Branch  avenues.  Smith  and  Plainfield  streets. 


Indicali,,.  h>,  .,,,1,  ,S^'V^  V-L1.\1ITS  OF  THE  UNION  RAILROAD  UIVISIUX. 
limits  pr»Sllvcrrl«f,n/°,;r    ^^tT  ""'"'"  P^^'i''^""  -"d  "«W"  'h»  "-nits  o(  the  Uni< 
from  the  Union  nivi=,;,„    ™t      .    !f  "j."".  Present  5  cent  zone.      All  computations  and  data  u! 

u,,o";'t  crii°iV;'ri;v:wi'„,'n'r,*rinct";,ete;" " "  "■'"'"■ '"™ ""  "•^''  ""•  *" 


■  FEDERAL  ST 

1 

1 

\ 

ii       ! 

u     S        1 

1   1 

J 

1 

h 

1             '              .-     -4— ( 

1     1 1  t:  ill 

'  ii 

!   i       1 

1 

: 

i                 1 

i                               ' 

1              ' 

1    ._    L 

1 

1 

1        1 

i 

•            ; 

^^ 

u_. 

1     J 

1. 

!, 

I   ,|! 

ji 

ll:       I 

=     i!  i 

i     i; 

1     II 

1''    i 

! 

i 

i 

1 

!      • 

1| 

i^^ 

1 

i        i        1 

1 

1 

.  i 

ll 

II          1    i             ii 

PLA1 
•  car  loading  at  va 
inbound  ;  2nd — hea- 
outbound  trips  of 
ading.  Note  irregi 
;red  inbound.  I)ut  n 


VI 


?!=fL^  !-■                 ,  --•--[- 

1           .           i           ,           ,          ;  »....=«.«. 

1-  Mil-    --:zz       1 

]-  i-        ^     ^        "I±      i 

gisi'g      __                        '■    ij  !L     ~  - 

^:l._----_ |:Os::_J 

D.=-SgB         "'                                             ^            ~ J 

g"       c  g,  0*                                                                " ""                                ™"  "^ 

'-fok:^  .._         -                E 

3|_2S.gH                                 --      -      -i^^™j==- 

-       "iMf- 

ffsl!^  "■        \     \          '^'^ 

I"§si9                                     ^ 

.  THRO;* 
s  from  the 

3rd— seat 
passing  th 

s  and  hea 

llllo                        r:Li4._i:: 

=--  |-  |....    ■  ^i^.. 

11  J  iTD    yiH  " 

r,l^5.                                                                                                      I-7                  1 

i               „  '  _l_=s;;  ■""] n 

?^n"                                                                * 

r    "       ^^^-:--r|-: 1 

1^0=                                                     --■                -■- 

-  ■- Y  *wM^  1 

Is-"                                       ■  ■-- 

F      .11  Fffl  |i:.S^  i 

>|^r                                      11          -■-" 

-         '"    ^..^---%f=^  ^ 

3  _  3  =;        3         -^                               [ 

"Jls    !i  1? 

■  — =:   S 

If^-'     filii                              ": 

.._j_L                               ^r...        . 

im     1^  II 

inl 

-rf       '  Dl 

VII 


J 


PLATE  VII—  TIME  ZONE  MAP.  ,     .  , 

Indicating  by  means  of  shaded  contours  the  distance  that  is  run  on  various  hnes  under  the  present  winter  schedule, 
within  periods  of  5.  10,  15  Minutes,  etc.,  countinR  from  the  down  town  terminus.  The  5  minute  zone  is  necessarily  ir- 
regular, owing  to  different  starting  points  being  taken  on  various  lines.  Divergence  of  these  contour  lines  indicates  faster 
running  speed  and  vice  versa.  Note  that  Riverside  is  reached  in  25  minutes  and  Pawtuxet  i 
tant  from  the  city. 


I  35,  both  about  4%  mile; 


VJII 


Indicating  the  limrts  of  the  present  transfer  zone,  i.  e..  the  territory  within  which  passengers  can  transfer  to 
other  points  of  the  city  for  a  single  fare,  Inbound  passengers  boarding  the  cars  outside  of  these  limits  cannot 
obtain  transfers  through  the  center  nf  the  citv  for  one  fare  and  vice  versa.  Note  that  these  limits  correspond 
to  the  city  limits  with  few  exceotions.  c.  g— East  Providence  and  the  Buttonwoods  Express  line  on  wTiich  the 
transfer  zone  is  extended  to  Warwick  Avenue  Junction. 


PLATE  IX— CAR  CLEARANCE— E 
ferhang  of  car  when  rounding  a  connec 
streets,  i.  e.,  for  corresponding  24-ft.  and 
he  present  bloomer  car.     Note  that  a  50 


IX 


, 

1 
1 
1 

I 
\ 

\   \ 

\   \ 

\   \ 

\  \ 
\  \ 
\  \ 

\ 

' 

1 

/         // 

y 

) 
/ 

Kk 

i 
^     1 

/              / 

L/'" 

/\7V     \ 

/                                                     1 

' 

-^•, 

i   I 

^  _                  ___![ 

■-- 

"-> 

^ 

1 

\^ 

//■ 

'^ 

\ 

/ 

CLEARANCE-LAYOUT 

SINGLE  TOACK  COMECIING  CUWE 
FWTVa  nrrr  foot  streets 

•-.:=■■■ 

PLATE  IX-CAR  CLEARANCE— DIAGRAM  FOR  SINGLE  TRACK. 
Showing  the  limiting  curves  of  maximum  overhang  of  car  when  rounding  a  connecting  curve  between  intersecting  single  tracks.    The  street  clearance^is 
shown  by  dotted  lines  for  both  40-foot  and  50-foot  streets,  i.  e.,  for  corresponding  24-ft.  and  30-ft.  roadways.    A  composite  < 
the  overhang  of  the  proposed  vestibule  is  less  than  the  present  bloomer  car.    Note  that  a  50-ft.  street  gives  ample  clearance 
and  no  curb  overhang. 


o 


f<— 


PLATE  X— CAR  CLEARA^ 
or  a  60- ft.  street  (36- ft.  roadwa 
ms.  By  means  of  a  short  tang< 
ID  smaller  than  for  the  present 
m. 


X 


• 


PLATE  X— CAR  CLEARANCE  DIAGRAM  FOR  DOUBLE  TRACK, 
his  diagram  is  similar  to  Plate  XI,  except  for  a  60-ft.  street  (36-fL  roadway)  with  two  intersecting    curves.     Tlie  composite  templates  show  both  Bradley 
nmer  cars  as  compared  with  proposed  platforms.     By  means  of  a  short  tangent  on  the  connecting  ctirves,  cars  are  enabled  to  pass  on  curves,  overhang  at 
:  avoided,  and  the  clearance  for  vehicles  is  no  smaller  than  for  the  present  equipment.     Note  the  necessity   of    wide   vehicles   stopping  back  of  the  street 
;o  avoid  being  crushed  by  the  rear  car  platform. 


r^ 


)l5t«TS 
£5:6ruClN&lNCAR 

m  w  PUTFcftws 


PLATE  XI— STUDIES 
•epaying  cars,  also  proposed 
inches  apart.     Types  "B",  "C 
■    enlarged    for  prepayment, 
leads  removed,  folding  doors 


XI 


PLATE  XI— STUDIES  OF  PLATFORM  AND  SEATING  ARRANGEMENT. 

Showing  six  different  arrangements   for  prepaying  cars,  also  proposed  and  present  Bradley  platform.     Type  "F"  represents  the  proposed   Providence  car 

for  new  equipment,  having  cross  seats  spaced  20  inches  apart.     Types  "B",  "C,  "D".  "E"  show  the  present  Bradley  body  with  cross  seats  spaced  32".    Type  "A" 

shows    the    present    car  witli    rear   platform    only    enlarged    for  prepayment.      Types    "A"    ami    "B"    are   suilahlc  only  for  singe  ended  operation,  all  other  for  cither 

single  or  double  operations.     All  types  have  bulkheads  removed,  folding  doors  and  lift  steps.     Principal  exit  forwartl  and  conductor  at  the  rear  using  fare  collector. 


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PLATE  XIV— VEHICLE  CLEARANCE  DIAGRAM. 
Showing  cross  sections  of  typical  Providence  roadways  also  the 
requisite  dimensions  for  accommodating  various  lines  of  traffic,  both 
along  straight  or  tangent  track,  and  on  curves.  An  average  vehicle 
width  of  7  ft.  is  assumed.  A  .50  ft.  street  will  only  accommodate 
comfortably  single  track  and  a  60  ft  street  double  track. 


"^^Vo, 


V^— CAR  FLOW  MAP,  T 
t  cars  throug-h  the  various 
I  of  running.  Subdivisions 
detailed  along  the  margir 
r  interferences  at  street  in 


XV 


'^ 


PLA'IE  XV— CAR  FLOW  MAP,  TERMINAL  DISTRICT.  DURING  RUSH  HOURS. 
Indicating  the  relative  movement  of  street  cars  through  the  various  thoroughfares  of  the  loading  district.     The  width  of  the  bands  is  proportional  to  cars 
per  hour  passing.    Arrows  indicate  'the  direction  of  running.     Subdivisions  of  the  (low  were  determined  by  grouping  various  car  lines  that  follow  the  same  routing 
through  the  business  center.     These  groups  are  detailed  along  the  margin  by  route  numbers  corresponding  to  the  winter   schedule.     The  actual   number  of  cars 
passing  per  hour  is  given  along  each  street.     Car  interferences  .nt  street  intersections  arc  indicated  by  the  crossing  of  these  bells. 


n 


XVI 


PLATE  Wl.-KKLATiVli  ; 


ONGESTION.   C\RS  PER  FOOT  WIDTH  OF  ROADWAY  PF-R 
HOl'R. 
difference  in  car  traffic  along  various  thoroughfares  as  compared 


Illustrating  graphically  the  „ 
available  width  of  roadway.    This  diagram  is  similar  to  Plate  XV.  except  that  the  car  flow  is  reduced 
of  equal  width  of  roadway.     Compare  for  example  Westminster  Street  and   Broadway  or  Francis  Str« 
diagram  simply  emphasizes  the  very  unequal  distribution  of  cars  over  the  downtown  streets. 


• 


I  I    I  II 

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XVII 


COMPARATIVE    RECORD     OF     TRAFFIC 


BY     ROUTES 
1910 


PLATE  XVII— RECORD  OF  COMPARATIVE  TRAFFIC  AND  EARNINGS  BY  ROUTES— 1910. 
Presenting  a  graphical  comparison  of  tlie  i<.-tal  pas-sengers  and  earnings  of  individual  routes  for  the  year.  Paw- 
tucket  and  Pawtuxct  traffic  has  been  grouped  for  convenient  comparison.  It  will  be  noted  that  the  Edgcwood  and 
Pawtuxet  traffic  is  the  heaviest  of  any  single  route  and  Riverside,  Crescent  Park  the  next  heaviest,  Transfer  business  is 
indicated  by  the  open  spaces,  i.  e.,  difference  in  height  between  passengers  and  earnings,  the  scales  having  been  chosen  for 
this  purpose.  This  diagram  also  shows  by  means  of  the  light  lines  the  total  passengers  and  earnings  per  standard  car  mile. 
i.  e..  actual  car  mile  ratios  have  been  reduced  to  a  set  mile  basis,  assuming  the  standard  car  of  42  seats.  Dotted  lines  in- 
dicate !I0  c.  per  car  mile,  which  has  been  used  as  a  basis  of  computing  service.  Nearly  all  of  the  through  routes  and  most 
ni  ihe  suburbans  earn  over  30  c.  per  standard  car  mile. 


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PLATE  XVm— TYPICAL  MONTHLY  VARL\TION  IX  TRAFFIC  AN'U  SERVICE. 
These  diagrams  have  been  selected  as  typical  of  the  characteristics  presented  by  the  various  routes  of  the  system.  Traffic  is  indicated  by  total  passen- 
*  gers,  and  service  car  miles.  In  addition  to  the  complete  vearly  cycle  of  change,  tliree  months  of  1911  have  been  included  in  order  to  mdicate  whether  the 
operation  of  the  system  subsequent  to  the  agitation  of  December  has  differed  materially  from  the  corresponding  months  of  1910;  this  does  iiot  appear  to 
be  the  case.  In  general,  car  mileage  should  vary  with  passenger  traffic  and  a  sharp  divergence  of  the  two  curves  indicate  poorer  service  and  vice  versa,  for 
example— Broad-Washington  Park  as  compared  with  Park  .\venue.  However,  the  additional  seating  capacity  of  the  open  cars  makes  somewhat  less  car 
mileage  necessary  during  the  summer,  hut  sharp  changes  from  month  to  month  are  clearly  a  measure  of  service.  The  (impany  appears  to  have  followed 
traffic  variations  very  closely  throughout  these  seasonal  changes,  but  in  some  instances  have  retrenched  too  much  m  car  milcacc.  f.r  cxamr.U-,— on  the  Paw- 
liickel  lines.     Note  that  the  change  from  Broadw.iy-Eimgrove  to  Elmwood-Elmgrovc  has  resulted  in  increased  traffic. 


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ading  characteristics 
particular  trips  are 
cy  of  service.     The 

1.  Standing  6^^  mi 
jle.  Trip  represent; 
long  haul  route.  S 
lad  curve  superimp< 


XTX-A 


PLA  I  iL  XIX,  -X— TYPICAL  PASSENGER  COUX T 
Complete  graphical  record  of  speed,  time  of  stops,  passengers  entering  and  alight 
These  loading  curves  indicate  the  peculiar  loading  characteristics  of  each 
in  the  report.    To  determine  whether  these  particular  trips  are  representative,  the  trip 
eating  general  variation  in  traffic  and  frequency  of  service.    These  day  trip  < 

^ Oaklawn.     Typical   long  haul   local  run.     Standing  6%  miles.    Loading  235%.    Most  of  the  standing  load  drops  off  at  Knightsvillc.    Delays 
seconds  at  Print  Works.     Speed  below  schedule.     Trip  representative  of  the  three  rush  hour  trips. 
Centerdale  v-a   Smith  Street.    Another  long  haul  route.     Standing  for  5  miles.     Delays  4% 
Loading  not  imaximum.     Short  haul  tripper  load  curve  superimposed  upon  long  haul 


HY  INDIVIDUAL  KUU  I  E  TRIPS. 

)assenger  load,  delays,  and  the  average  length  of  ride  during  rush  hours. 

and  have  been  selected  from  75  similar  counts  to  illustrate  various  features  discussed 

ds  reported  by  conductors  for  the  entire  day  have  been  appended,  indi- 

plotted  from  schedule  running   time,   not    from   actual   time  run,   so   that  the 


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PLATE  XlX-ll— TVnCAL.  KTC.-SAMli  AS  ON  PLATI-    XIX, 
Chalkslone  Ave.     A  short  haul  but  heavily  loaded  line  rmite.     lOH  itiiimtcs  delay  at  turnouts.     Speed  far  bcl 
run  a  distance  of  2  2-3  miles.    Note  that  standing  load  disappears  at  Davis  Park,  which  suggests  short  haul  trippers. 

Elmwood  Ave.    A  rather  light  trip.     Speed  somewhat  below  schedule.     Inbound  evening  rush  hour  trips  appear  to  be  the  heaviest 
Academy  Ave.    An  example  of  a  very  light  trip  ju; 
hour  loading  on  "this  line  heavy  both  morning  and  night. 


This  lir 


the  end  of  the  trip.    This  indie 


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le  heaviest  line  of  trafficj 
ard  incomplete,  brut  suffi 
al  route,  forced  to  carrj 
f  only  77%.  i.  e..  maxin 


XIX-C 


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Edgewood  Express.     Typical  shoi 


Note  that  practically  all  of  the  load  originates  within  the  terminal  loading  districts.  Tht-  average 
Lakewood.    On  the  day  cards  the  Buttonwoods  via  Elmwood  trips  were  also  shown, 
of  the  heaviest  line  of  traffic  in  the  city.    Represents  a  very  fair  standard  of  loading.    Stiinding— 57%  continued  for  2% 

_^ Day  card  incomplete,  but  sufficient  tripsare  plotted  to  indicate  the  octremely  heavy  traffic  < 

Hughesdale.    An  example  of  long  haul  local  route,  forced  to  carry  local  t 
at  Olneyville.   This  results  in  a  load  factor  of  only  77%.  i.  e.,  m 
doiible  loading.    Speed  'below  schedule. 


liles. 


Biittomt'oods  via   Broad.     Typical  suburban   express  i 
/as  not  obtained,  as  the  count  was  carried  only  J 
Edsewood-Pawtuxet.     Typical  cur 
Speed  somewhat  below  schedule. 


This  curve  shows  plainly  the  double  loading  occurr 
mly  77%  of  the  total  fares  registered  on  the  trip,  du' 


C 


XX 


PLATE  XX— DISTRIBUTION  OF  CARS  AND  HEADWAY. 

Black  dots  indicate  the  schedule  position  of  cars  throughout  the  system  at  6  P.  M.,  winter  schedule,  these  cars 

being  coded  according  to  the  car  house  from  which  the>  originate.      The  excessive  congestion  within  the  business 

district  is  apparent  and  the  heavy  car  traffic  down  town  evidently  gives  no  indication  of  the  car  distribution  on 

various  radiating  lines.      Numbers  indicate  minimum  regular  headway  for  normal  and   for  rush  hours.       Headway 


for 


ling     speeds. 


o 


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d  to  pass  va 
I  of  the  vark 
ice  of  throug 


XXI 


A  graphical  record  of  seats  scheduled  to  pass 
lUtes  may  be  had  by  comparing  the  width  of  the  vi 
I  the  report  and  also  the  relative  importance  of  thrr 


PLATE  XXI— SEAT   FLOW   MAP  OF  SYSTEM— RUSH  HOURS, 
various  points  on  all  lines  during  the  rush  hour.     An  exact  idea  of  the  relal 
rious  lines,  which  is  proportional  to  the  seat  flow.    This  map  shows  the  nine 
neh  rnutcs.  these  nnly  hcini^  slunvn  within  the  dnun  town  circle. 


r 


A     000  018  047      1 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA   LIBRARV 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DL'E  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


REC'l)  LJ^jRL 


Form  L9-Series  444 


Ti 


ms>^ 


^sa^: 


K^ 


